But when Lachlan Mood suffered a horrific ankle injury roughly five years ago, it changed his view on life.

Before he broke his ankle and tore the ligaments off the bone in a training accident, Mood had been singularly focused on progressing his playing career as far as possible.

Afterwards, he found that his perspective had changed.

"I was always dedicated to playing and wanted to go big, go professional over in England or something," Mood said.

"I think after [my injury] ... I see more of the game now, I don't just see the playing side. My main focus now isn't to be the best, it's to help all these young kids coming through. To help them get better and build more confidence."

Now bearing a plate and six screws in the joint for life, the 24-year-old is still dedicated to being the best player he can, but also wants to give back to his club as much as possible.

When he first suffered the injury, Mood played for OVA - with whom he had been aligned since childhood.

He then spent two years at Moore Creek, before making the transition to the Hillvue Rovers at the behest of some friends in the team.

It is with the Rovers that Mood's desire to take on more administerial responsibilities was not only welcomed, but rewarded.

"Back at Moore Creek, I did want to help out more in taking on a junior team and getting more in depth at the club," he said.

"When I came to Hillvue, they gave me that opportunity. This year I started helping out more at training, running it, and trying to help the boys out."

In recent weeks, Mood even took on some of club president Alex Barton's duties while the latter was on holiday.

It seems that the increased responsibility suits Mood, who leads the Rovers' first grade goalkicking list with five this season.

The striker did not actually intend to play premier league this season, but the club has needed him to fill in consistently, and he has relished the opportunity to set an example for his younger teammates.

"We've got a handful of young kids this year, so I'm just trying to help them out," Mood said.

"Show them the benefits of the game and get them stronger."

When the Rovers take on the second-placed North Companions this Saturday from 3pm, Mood hopes they can "get back on track".

"Last time we played them, we went in with high hopes and it didn't pan out the way we wanted it to," he said.

"So hopefully this time we go in with our heads still up and get the win."

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