A GROIN injury might be preventing Matthew Moody from taking the field at present, but it hasn’t stopped the young Brisbane Lions midfielder from finding a way to kick career goals away from the Gabba.

Every Friday, Moody trades in the Lions’ maroon, blue and gold for the blue of the Queensland Police Service, as part of the Next Goal program – a joint AFL Players’ Association/AFL SportsReady initiative.

For Moody, who harbours a long-time ambition to become a police officer, it’s a chance to test drive what life after football might entail.

“I can’t really pinpoint why I want to be a policeman – it’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Moody told lions.com.au.

“One of the players that I used to look up to at South Fremantle, Marty Atkins, was a policeman, so I guess part of it is probably wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“I’ve been doing it for three weeks now and it’s been a great experience. The first week I went to recruitment day, the next week we went around all the headquarters around Brisbane and then last week we went to the watchhouse – which was pretty intense and a bit of an eye-opener.

“This week I’m going out with the diving squad.”

Apart from the potential long-term benefits, Moody is also getting a more immediate kick out of the chance to get out of the recovery room.

The 22-year-old is afflicted with osteitis pubis and his timeframe for a return to action remains indefinite.

“You always hope you’ll be able to play footy until you are in your 30s, but even if you do, you’ve probably got at least 20 years of work in front of you after that,” Moody said.

“So it’s good to be able to do something towards that now.

“The other thing is that it’s great to get away from the club and the physio rooms at the moment.

“I like to play golf but this gives me something else to help freshen up my mind and I think that will help when I do get back to playing.”

While footballers and the police force heed the call of two distinctly different sirens, Moody can see some similarities between the two occupations.

“Some of the responsibilities aren’t that different,” Moody said.

“As a footballer you know you are in the public eye and that you are a role model and have to set a good example – and it’s exactly the same for the police.”