Aaron Booth might not be playing a pivotal role on-field right now for the Gold Coast Titans, but he certainly is off it as he continues to recover from his gruelling knee injury.
Seven months after a multi-ligament rupture sidelined the talented No. 9 indefinitely, he's as busy as he's ever been, with his recovery from surgery just a small element of his everyday activities at Titans HQ.
Not only serving as a club delegate for the Rugby League Players' Association during the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, Booth has also been busy behind the scenes during the pre-season, helping bring the entire squad and their families together to build cohesion and be as tight-knit as possible heading into a defining season for the Coast.
There is also light at the end of the tunnel for his personal journey, preparing to integrate into field running in the next fortnight after a long period working to build his strength and conditioning.
However the burning question on everyone's lips is... when will we see him back in the NRL again?
Booth's Road to Recovery: Part 1
At only age 27, the Mullumbimby Giants junior still has a long career ahead of him. He would know best given arguably the greatest hooker of all time Cameron Smith - a player he was an understudy to when at the Storm - played until he was at the youthful age of 38.
It's why he's in absolutely no rush to get back to playing regular first grade footy, instead wanting to put his body first and getting it 100 percent right before any thought of fighting for an NRL return.
"The biggest priority for me at the moment is my health, my knee's health and my body's health. I'm super lucky that I've got the support of all the staff here at the Titans and that's been my focus and still is my focus during my recovery," Booth told titans.com.au.
"Obviously, my goal is to play first grade... like that's been my dream since I was a kid and it's still the dream now. It's what I want to do and it's why I want to cement a spot and contribute to the club winning.
"I feel like what the boys are doing at the moment is definitely heading that way, so my priority is to get as healthy as I can, get my knee right, do everything in good time so when I do come back, it's in a position where I'm going to be able to contribute the best that I can.
"I'm not going to do anything silly just to fight my way back into playing footy and put myself at risk.
"Whether it's this year, next year or whenever it is... my return date will be when it's right for my body and for the team as well."
Away from the Titans and without the daily rigours of being a typical professional rugby league player, the spare time has allowed him to expand his horizons, which has included stepping on the other side of the fence with the Burleigh Bears.
Assisting Chris McCormack with the affiliate's Mal Meninga Cup side, it has given Booth a different perspective of the game which he's been playing since he can remember, and is coming off the back of back-to-back wins and in a good position to play finals footy in the shortened competition.
"I've really enjoyed stepping onto the other side of the game and look at it through that lens," Booth said.
"We've had a few good wins over the last few weekends and given it's a short comp, it's been good to get our season moving.
"We've got a good crew there with really good staff... Macca and PK are the top dogs down there that I've been working with and have been good for me, showing me the ropes and the players have been cool to be working with as well.
"It's been keeping me busy for sure, so it's really good."
The free time has also allowed Booth to complete tertiary studies as he aims to complete an undergraduate degree in human biology.
"I'm doing a little bit of study to set me up and take a little bit of time off a future bachelor's degree if I was to go into physio, chiro or something in the health field," he said.
"It's been cool to dive back into some study this past 12 months and I've been enjoying it. It's been pretty difficult and taking a few hours out of my day sometimes when I'm studying for an exam, but it's been been good to keep the mind mind ticking over.
"Hopefully, I'll be done soon and then I'll see what else I can dive into."
