Moody, famously, seriously injured an ankle when playing for Canterbury in the ITM Cup the day before the All Blacks' squad for the November tour was announced. He would have made it. Instead, he had to watch as Jefferey Toomaga-Allen was taken instead and reconciled himself to a long lay-off.
Now the big 25-year-old prop is hoping for a mid-March comeback for the Crusaders. He needs another operation to remove screws from the joint and then more hard work is in store - to not only get himself into condition but also somehow dislodge Wyatt Crockett for the No1 jersey.
The ankle still troubles him on occasion and his fitness work has been limited to the gym and stationary bike. He is fortunate to have had a background in an individual sport such as wrestling as he battles away on his rehabilitation.
"I started wrestling when I was seven or eight and I did it until I was about 21," he said. "I won my first national senior title when I was about 16 and I ended up winning quite a few national titles.
"You can take certain aspects out of it as far as clean outs and that sort of carry on but the main thing it really helped with was having that individual sport behind you where there's no one else to rely on. It's just you. That's really given me the determination and drive in my training and where I want to go."
As a kid growing up in the small North Canterbury settlement of Tuahiwi, near Rangiora, Moody had more than his share of energy to burn, a characteristic which prompted his parents into action.
"I was a bit of a naughty little kid and my parents took me along to get me to vent things out on the wrestling mat rather than taking things out at school."
With players such as Crockett, Corey Flynn, Ben Funnell, Codie Taylor, Nepo Laulala, Tim Perry and Owen Franks as options for the front row, the Crusaders will again have a major advantage in this area. As a specialist loosehead, Moody has Crockett as his main rival within the squad.
The Crusaders did away with their prop rotation policy once Ben Franks left for the Hurricanes, and it paid dividends in terms of performance and motivation for Crockett and Co. Moody, however, who played 16 matches last year in his first season with the Crusaders, will be expected to keep Crockett honest.
His fitness is a work in progress, Moody admitting that not being able to run wasn't doing him any favours. He looked powerful, rather than overweight, at last week's season launch in Auckland, though.
"Generally my fitness has never been that flash. With not being able to do any running at this stage - I have only been able to do spin bike sessions to do my cardio - I'm a little bit worried where I'm going to be when I start doing things again."
Being able to get his hands on an All Blacks jersey after going so close last year was a burning motivation.
"I've been on a couple of training camps. That and being named [in all Blacks], that's all motivation that I can put in the bank to work harder and try to get back out on the pitch."
- By Patrick McKendry of APNZ
