They say a change is as good as a holiday and for former Parramatta hooker Matt Keating, that certainly was the case.
But after a few years working away from the sport he loves the most, the 130-game rake is ecstatic to be back and working with the Gold Coast's Future Titans program as the club's junior pathways coordinator.
"I had a break from the game and refreshed myself, but then realised footy was what I missed," he admitted.
"I feel it's what I'm sort of reasonably good at, so I slowly got back into it and to now have a full-time opportunity is great."
Finishing his first grade career at the Eels in 2013, the long-time No. 9 moved north of the border to Burleigh for the 2014 Queensland Cup season, but an injury cut his time short on the field, allowing him to dabble in junior player development.
The 36-year-old then chose to work for his in-laws in landscape construction and excavation for the next six years, before slowly finding his way back to the sport he played his entire life by helping the next generation of talent in the Northern Rivers.
It was through this work that he got the offer to come and join the Titans and formalise his work with junior players and help them further progress to a potential first grade career.
"The title I've got is the junior pathways coordinator, which looks after the day-to-day stuff," Keating said.
"While school is operating, I'll go around to the sports excellence rugby league schools - which is Palm Beach Currumbin, Marsden, Keebra Park and Coombabah - and assist with their programs where needed. I talk with their coaches and their teachers and offer to help out with anything because I'm always willing to help out and give my advice and my experience to the kids.
"The role also allows me to form relationships and get to know individual kids who in the near future could become a Titan. It's also about identifying kids who are doing well at school and doing well on the weekends in club footy and look to bring them into our programs.
"I also continually watch under 13 / 14 and upwards play footy and try to give them opportunities at the Titans."
Keating's current focus is on the junior Titans academies, which will begin next month for under 14s to put players in good stead to potentially become contracted when they reach the age of 15.
"We'll do two cluttered blocks; one's in November, which is one session a week for four weeks and then will have a game in early December between the academies. We'll then also potentially do another block in February as the kids go back to school," he explained.
"After all of that, if kids are going well and we like what we see, there's an opportunity for kids to get a contract, and that is when they begin their Future Titans journey."
Entering his fourth month in the new role, the former dummy-half has enjoyed his career going full circle and really wants to give back with the learnings he's picked up after coming through the grades as a kid and experiencing a formidable first grade career.
"It's been great to be back in footy because I experienced it as a full-time athlete and then I was lucky enough to go into that in a working capacity in that in that development role with Burleigh. I then went into the 'real world' and got my hands dirty for a while. I learned some valuable skills, but footy was what I missed," Keating explained.
"I like seeing the development of kids and also coaching and interacting with kids who want to become NRL players. With me experiencing that throughout my childhood and in school days, I can sort of relate to what I did and pass on some certain messages to these kids."
