Adam Elliott has closed the door on last year's Mad Monday dramas and wants to focus on becoming a respected leader at Canterbury both in the community, and on the field.
Embroiled in one of the NRL's first major scandals of the summer at the Bulldogs' end-of-season celebrations, Elliott has endured a difficult few months since the lewd images of he and teammate Asipeli Fine at a Sydney pub surfaced.
But speaking for the first time since the incident which saw him fined $25,000 by the club, Elliott was adamant he'd turned a new page and didn't want to reflect on the matter.
"I don't look at it, I don't think about it," Elliott told AAP on Wednesday.
"I move forward and that's what I've done since it happened. That's what my support network around me has enabled me to do.
"The people who are closest to me and the ones who are there were there when the times were tough and we got through them."
Elliott's Mad Monday affair was at odds with the image he has in the game.
It came just weeks after the second-rower was announced as Canterbury's nominee for the Ken Stephenson Medal which recognises off-field charity work.
The 24-year-old works closely with the Giant Steps Autism charity and he is also an ambassador for the Special Olympics.
He and Josh Jackson finished last year by taking the school captain from a local school for intellectual disabilities to his formal, while Elliott was also instrumental in raising funds for his home town following the Tathra bushfires on the NSW south coast last summer.
"I just have to be myself and just keep doing the things I've done in the past. That has created that (positive) image for people who do know me," Elliott said.
"If you do something long enough that becomes a habit or something that you're well known for. If you're lucky enough you can eventually be great at that, and that becomes a legacy."
On the field, Elliott also has a big year ahead.
Canterbury are in a rebuilding phase and Elliott has become a leader in that for the younger players, who finally began to shine at the end of last year.
"I dipped my toe but this year I really want to dive into it and making sure I can really take on that leadership role and the boys can look at me in that light," he said.
