In Season 2 of True Detective, Sargeant Ani Bezzerides is briefly demoted to work in the evidence room following false allegations of sexual harassment by her ex-partner, despite being an honest member of the police force.

Pop culture often depicts the evidence room as an inconvenient hurdle, a stepping stone for junior figures or temporary punishment for senior officers.

In an Australian footballing context, The NPL can be seen as something similar, either a platform for youth players or a fallback for former professionals seeking another crack at the top.

Oakleigh Cannons’ Matthew Foschini belongs in the latter category, experiencing a difficult transition since being released as part of Ange Postecoglou’s clean out at Melbourne Victory.

Despite making an A-League debut as a teenager, playing over 50 games for one of the competition’s most prestigious clubs and being driven to return to the top, opportunities have been hard to come by for the 24-year-old since his release in 2013.

Ironically, the same system that afforded Nick Ward and Isaka Cernak chances at six different teams – by their mid-to-late 20’s – had seemingly closed its doors on the then 22-year-old after one club, with no trials offered anywhere else.

“To be honest, there’s been no interest, it is what it is,” Foschini says.

“That’s my reality. At the moment I’m playing in the NPL, it’s frustrating at times.

“I’m at a good age, I’m 24, I’ve played at the biggest club in the country, and I feel I can get back to a level in the A-League or professionally somewhere.

“If someone gives me the chance, I’ll be grateful and grab the opportunity with both hands.”

The additional hurdle for any player released from an A-League club is the lack of pathways to continue playing at an elite level.

While most other countries have professional second divisions, in Australia, the road forks back into a semi-professional league or towards Asian competitions often played in harsh environments.

Foschini’s first move was to head to India, where he played for I-League club Salgaocar.

“On the pitch, it was tough because of the conditions,” he admits.

“It was 40 degrees when you’d play, it’s not a very tactical game over there. It’s transition based and end to end stuff, off the cuff a bit.

“Luckily there was a good little Aussie community over there with guys like Simon Colosimo, Tolgay Ozbey and Arthur Papas.

“It was good to have them because it’s a tough country to live in, it’s essentially third world, there are naked children on the streets and cows and crap everywhere – you take things for granted in Australia.”

After a cap on foreign players prevented Foschini from signing with professional NASL club Ottawa Fury, the former Young Socceroo was handed a lifeline by Oakleigh coach Arthur Papas – himself no stranger to the evidence room of Australian football, having received no A-League interest since completing his AFC Pro-license and succeeding in the I-League.

It’s been a mixed experience for the versatile defender and midfielder at his junior club, with the Cannons combining a poor NPL standing with a final 16 berth in the FFA Cup.

The Cup acts as the next step for Foschini in his attempt to attract attention at a national level.

“Back then I was younger, so it’s a bit hard to compare the level, this time around I’ve dropped down a level, instead of coming back up, so it has its up and downs,” he says.

“The quality is not what I’m used to and it gets frustrating at times, and at the end of the day it’s not the level I want to be at.

“I still need to apply myself week in, week out no matter what the standard is, if I want to get back in the A-League or back professionally I’ve got to be at my best every week.

“For someone like me, [the FFA Cup] is about winning first and foremost, but I want to put my name out there again and if someones sees something they like, and gives me the opportunity, im not done at the professional level, I think I’ve got a lot to offer.

“I’ve got a good coach, he’s the best in the league by far, he should be an A-League coach, he’s in a similar position as me so it’s good to talk to and bounce ideas off each other, we’ll get somewhere eventually but if not, we’ll be back here next year.”

While Foschini battles through the next chapter of an arduous story, his case is shared by a number of similarly ambitious players and coaches proving themselves at state level in hope of a big break.

In the meantime, they’ll have to continue toiling away in the evidence room until such opportunity arises.