For Aussie Sevens star Madison Ashby, the chance to play again has felt like an eternity.
Ashby, 24, will end a 484-day absence dating back to May 2024 when she runs out for ACT Brumbies in Round Three of the Next Gen Sevens.
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“I'm actually really excited, but nervous at the same time,” Ashby told Rugby.com.au.
“It's been a long, long journey, my rehab. But being back in amongst the girls, it's been more of an easy breeze.
“They're all very patient with a lot of us rehabbers that are coming back in. Going back into training and being around everyone has just made it easy and it's made training more enjoyable again.”
Ashby's long journey back from an knee injury sustained at last year's Singapore Sevens (May 2024) hasn't been easy.
The severity of her injury was such that the Sevens star not only injured her ACL, but other parts of her knee as well.
She had to wear a brace for over 12 weeks, taking nearly five months before she could bend her knee without discomfort.
Then, there was the challenges of getting back into contact, which came with its own mental hurdles.
However, Ashby credits her family, partner and coaches for getting her through the toughest days, particularly early on after she missed the chance to go to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I did my knee right before the Olympics. So, that was one of the hardest things mentally for me, especially when previously coming off the back of Tokyo,” Ashby explained.
“Leading into that tournament, that's all our focus was on. My mindset was just Paris, Paris, Paris.
“Then, as soon as I got injured, it was like nothing. That was probably the hardest thing for me.
“I must credit how much support I've had from my family, my partner, my teammates and my coaches throughout this time. Without them being there for me, I probably would have had second thoughts on rugby.
“When I first got injured, my parents were at my house for a month straight, looking after me, catering to me. My partner was travelling to-and-from Canberra to make sure I was okay.
“My cousins were coming over just to stay with me for the night, especially through Olympics time. Their endless love and support played major role that's played into my recovery.
“[My coaches] let me go down to Canberra for a couple of months to where my partner lives and train at the AIS. So, it was good in a way for me to have the mental relief of not having to be around and [have] the whole Olympic campaign in my face.
“I was very skeptical about doing it [contact] because I did it [my injury] during contact.
“I think the fear of being caught in a funny position was always at the back of my mind. It took me a while with my return to contact to be able to not even think about it anymore.
“It wasn't a normal return from an ACL. It took a long time. My sister has told me by the time I play this weekend, it's 484 days since I last stepped on a footy field.”
Ashby set herself a goal of being back for the Singapore Sevens in April this year, but after the arrival of a new medical team and physio, the star started a new rehab plan - one that has proven critical for her recovery.
“[The new physio], she didn't want to send me on a field where she believed I wasn't ready for it, like physically,” Ashby explained.
“That was a hard challenge for me to overcome when I've set my mind to something for so long.
“She wanted my leg to be 200 per cent ready for me to go where like, I'm confident, they're confident. They've been very transparent in their conversations on what they think will work, what they think will not work.
“Now that I'm about to play, it's been like, it's worth it. We say trust the process and it's been well worth the wait.”
The Sevens landscape Ashby re-enters is one that has undergone several changes, with head coach Tim Walsh introducing a new generation of Aussie Sevens stars and the emergence of Next Gen Sevens talent.
There's also been increased collaboration with the Wallaroos’ XVs program and Ashby is excited to see what the likes of Tia Hinds and Charlotte Caslick can bring back to the Sevens program.
“It was good to get some new talent throughout the team and growth,” Ashby added.
“It's a really big change because like we're missing Sharni Williams, Dom du Toit, and there's a lot of new girls that I've never played with before.
“It's refreshing that I'm learning like new combinations with some of the young talent like Mackenzie Davis, Piper Simons, Ruby [Nicholas], Amahli [Hala], they're unreal players.
“I was saying to my coach two weeks ago, I think this is probably the best group of young girls that have ever come into our program. They’re physically fit, they're pushing some of us older girls to like challenge ourselves harder.
“I'm really missing Tia Hinds, and she's over there right now [in England] playing in all the Test matches. So she's a very experienced player that we're missing out on right now.
“Charlotte, [it is] very unfortunate that she got injured shy of the World Cup. [It’s] bittersweet to say, but I'm glad she's here because she's helping me get my confidence back, especially being my other half throughout the years.
“It's good to have their faces around, especially at the end of season last year, they had all gone off to play Super W games. The Wallaroos girls that are playing right now have really expanded their rugby experience.
“I'm glad they can go and share their talents with the Wallaroos girls and vice versa, learn off those Wallaroos girls.”
Ashby will be casting her eye on getting back into the national side, with Los Angeles the benchmark in 2028, followed by Brisbane in 2032.
However, with the Brumbies this weekend, the star is keen to finally take the field again and play with a new bunch of girls.
“I have been watching them [the Brumbies] play over the last two recent Next Gens and they look like a really good group of girls,” she said.
“They have a couple of speedsters in their team, some country girls and girls from WA. Getting to play with a very versatile team is exciting.
“I'm focusing on myself and what I can do to better myself. Even though I have the experience of playing Sevens, I'm still learning a lot right now.
“My goal is to be fully fit and ready for the selections, and honestly just have fun playing footy again with the girls, especially alongside Katie Shave, Sidney [Taylor], Demi [Hayes], all those girls that have been out of the game for a while.
“It will be exciting to get back and hopefully do, I would say, our debut tournament back with our ‘new’ knees.
“I've missed it for so long.”
