Shane Ellen is renowned for pulling off a miraculous switch from defence to the forward lines and booting a bag of five goals to be Adelaide’s ‘surprise’ hero in the 1997 flag win.

And playing footy at the highest level was all he ever dreamed about.

But once Ellen’s AFL career came to an end, he had no second thoughts about where he wanted his life to take him next.

Ellen, now 49, has worked in the Police Force for the past 20 years, spending the first 10 in SA, before requesting a transfer to Queensland Police, where he still is today.

“I started (playing footy) when I was nine and that’s all I cared about, I was just a footy nut,” Ellen said.

“I did some work (first) with the Adelaide Football Club’s Crows in Schools program but it wasn’t long after finishing footy that I joined the police force

“I always wanted to join (the Police) throughout my life, so once I finished football I decided to do it.

“I thought working in the Police Force would be always interesting with varied work and, I daresay, always working in a team environment as well, which I enjoy.”

Although he dived straight into the workforce after hanging up his footy boots, Ellen did manage to fit in a little bit of travel with former teammate Ben Marsh.

“In 2000, after I retired, me and Ben Marsh travelled around Egypt,” Ellen said.

“We went to Cairo… and then we got a felucca (a traditional wooden sailing boat) for three days down the Nile and that was a great experience.

“Of course Gaza where all the pyramids are was also pretty amazing.”

“I pretty much stayed in South Australia and then came over here to Queensland for a bit of a fresh start,” Ellen said.

“I was holidaying over there and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so when the Queensland Police opened up the transfers, I decided to transfer.

Ellen’s footy career, meanwhile, spanned for about seven seasons.

He played 11 AFL games for Footscray after making his debut in 1993.

But he was delisted  at the end of 1995 and picked up by the Crows in the 1996 Pre-Season Draft.

For most of his career, Ellen was a reliable defender but is best remembered for his five-goal performance in the 1997 Grand Final victory after surprisingly starting as a forward.

Ellen also played in Adelaide’s 1998 premiership but had injury problems in his last two seasons at the Club.

He then retired at the end of the 2000 season after 65 AFL games - (54 with the Crows, 11 at Footscray).

Speaking to AFC Media, Ellen said he would always be grateful for not only being able to live out his childhood dream but also winning two Premierships.

“As I get older I think I realise how special it (winning Premierships) is, it’s everything in football.

“No one can take it (a flag) off you, that’s the thing.

“With all the soft tissue injuries I had I was like a ticking time bomb, so to get those flags, it was probably a relief.”

Ellen is also kept busy at home with his three children - Jack, Chloe and Olivia.

He says he still follows the Crows and watches games on TV when he can.