Wallaroos star Charlotte Caslick battling an ankle injury
The Olympic gold medallist hurt her ankle in the dying stages of Australia's 37-12 loss to New Zealand last month in Wellington.
Despite having subsequent ankle injury, Caslick was named in the 32-player Wallaroos World Cup squad, but won't be ready for Australia's opening match of the tournament on August 23 against Samoa in Salford.
Instead, Caslick – who is wearing a moon boot – is 'aiming' to be play against the USA eight days later, but says it won't be her decision whether she's selected.
'That's above my pay grade. I just turn up to training and then other people make decisions around that,' she said.
'It's disappointing knowing that I probably won't be in the best shape of my career,
'When (the injury) happened, I knew it would be touch and go, and the time frame is probably a little bit tighter than I would have hoped it would be, but I'm doing what I can to get it (her ankle) as best as I can for some stage of the tournament.'
Adding to 30-year-old Caslick's frustrations was that she felt she was just starting to make her mark in the 15-a-side form of the sport when the injury occurred.
'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,' she said.
'I was starting to hit my straps, so that's a bummer ... but I've been trying to be as positive as possible.
'I made the transition from Sevens in the hope of playing in the Rugby World Cup, so it was definitely the goal for met this year.
'I can't wait to be a part of the squad over there (in the UK). I've just enjoyed my time with this team so much. I'm really looking forward to it.'
Caslick said and Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu, who is also suffering from a leg injury ahead of the World Cup, were supporting each other during their recoveries.
'We're definitely in a very similar position at the moment so I feel for her too. She's had an amazing season,' Caslick said of Palu.
'I think we just can support each other through it and bounce off each other every day that we're in here at training and just praying for each other.' Marco Monteverde Sports reporter
Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. NewsWire
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