Wallaroos and sevens star Charlotte Caslick has just one thing on her mind ahead of the Rugby World Cup as she races the clock to be fit for the tournament kicking off later this month.
Wheeled in a tackle with just two minutes left in the side's second O'Reilly Cup clash with the Black Ferns, Caslick's foot remained rooted in the turf as she was driven into the ground and immediately she knew her World Cup dreams were hanging by a thread.
"As soon as it happened I kind of knew it wasn't good," Caslick told reporters on Wednesday. "I knew it would be touch and go and the time frame was probably a little bit tighter than I would have hoped it would be, but I'm doing what I can to be the best that I can to get out there at some stage in the tournament."
The 30-year-old underwent surgery immediately for an ankle syndesmosis injury and has since been singularly focused on her rehab as she eyes a return for the side's must-win clash against the USA in York at the end of the month.
Placed in Pool A alongside USA, Samoa, and hosts England, the team's second match of the tournament against the Americans could make or break their aspirations of reaching the quarterfinal. Playing a starring role in the Wallaroos 27-19 win over the Eagles in Melbourne earlier this year, Caslick is resigned to the knowledge she could head into the clash underdone.
"We're aiming for the USA game, but yeah, I think that's above my pay grade.... I just turn up to training and then other people make decisions around that.
"It's disappointing knowing I probably won't be in the best shape of my career at this point, but I'm going to try and do everything I can to be as fit as I can be.
"I felt like I was learning a lot every single time I played, and I think I was getting better at every test I had on the field, but I do think back in Wellington, I was starting to hit my straps, so that's a bummer.
"I'm sure I haven't forgotten how to play rugby in the last three weeks. So I'll be okay."
Caslick isn't the only Wallaroos star racing the clock to be fit for the World Cup with captain Siokapesi Palu injured in the same game and racing the clock to be fit for the USA match.
Palu went through a range of emotions after she put her whole body on the line to save a try last month, with the 28-year-old spending days thinking her World Cup dreams were over with a foot injury.
"It was really emotional actually," Palu told ESPN. "In the moment I knew we were so close with the timeline to go to Rugby World Cup, and I was actually quite upset that whole night, really until we got to the diagnosis, the uncertainty of things can really challenge you mentally and it was tough.
"But things really turned when there was a positive outcome and the Wallaroos and their staff have done everything they can to make sure I prepare myself well."
Named in her second World Cup campaign, the back-rower is determined to realise her dream of leading her nation out at a World Cup in 2025 after she failed to play a single minute of the 2021 World Cup (played in 2022).
"It would mean everything [to captain at a World Cup]. It's so hard to find what tops your rugby career and I think to captain at the pinnacle of rugby, a Rugby World Cup, is a whole different feeling and there's so much responsibility, but it's always an honour and a privilege."