Charlie Willett: Seriously injured playing rugby league for Ireland and left to cover the costs

When Charlie Willett suffered a serious knee injury playing rugby league for Ireland, she had a lot to process in quick time.

First, there was the pain so excruciating that it took her a moment to realise the piercing screams ringing out were coming from her mouth.

Then, she pin-pointed it to her knee and knew instantly surgery would be needed.

And finally, after the match, came the news that she would have to foot most of the bill for the procedure herself.

The 27-year-old injured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), tore cartilage on both sides of her knee and suffered a dislocated thigh bone.

The total cost of the surgery was £14,000. She says before agreeing to play for Ireland she was told medical cover would be provided but that after the injury it was revealed that cover only extended to 3,500 euros (£3,000).

"As a female athlete, you accept that you might not get the kit that fits you and you might not have the same training facilities or food, coaches - all the extra fancy stuff," Willett told BBC Sport's Jo Currie.

"I would never expect to get paid for playing international rugby which is madness in itself. You forfeit all the other stuff knowing you'll at least be medically looked after, so it's pretty hard when that doesn't happen."

Rugby League Ireland (RLI) chairman Jim Reynolds told BBC Sport: "The insurance cover has already been paid to the player in full and her elected expenses have been more than covered through crowdfunding."

Reynolds also said that both the senior amateur women's and men's squad have the same insurance policies, terms and conditions.

Willett played her first Test for Ireland in Italy in June. Around that time, she had given up a job as a sports lawyer to fully focus on rugby and says "financially I was in a tricky position".

She tried to do things the right way. Knowing her rugby union club Exeter would only provide medical cover while she was in their care.

Willett says she asked coach John Whalley if she would be covered by Ireland. According to Willett, he said yes.

The debut went well and in October she was selected again - this time to play Wales in Dublin.

On the bench initially, Willett came on after 20 minutes "excited" to "make a massive impact", but in her first action had a "knee-on-knee collision"

"I just remember I heard screaming and it took me a little while to realise that the screaming was me," reflected Willett. "I have never experienced pain like it in my life.

"I knew that I had done my ACL. I was pretty heartbroken already at that stage. I was already devastated."

At the post-match meal, Willett describes a conversation with coach Whalley in which she asked about the process of paying for her surgery.

"He said, 'I don't think we'll be paying for that'," she said.

"At which point my heart dropped through the floor. I was devastated and in shock. It had already been pretty traumatic and to have that worry on top was insane."

After a "horrendous" and "painful" journey back to Exeter, Willett learned that her medical cover was in fact capped.

She said a surgeon who assessed her injury told her it was one of the "most traumatic knee injuries he's seen" and, in an email sent to RLI - seen by BBC Sport - Willett said he also told her that her injury "could be career-ending if not rectified".

Willett told RLI she would have to go public with the news and was offered an extra 1,500 euros (£1,300) if the organisation could set up a crowd-funding page to help raise the rest.

She declined, saying: "I felt like they had been unhelpful and I didn't want them to have the ability to tell my story for me."

With time ticking on the injury, she travelled to London for surgery unsure whether she would have the funds for it to go ahead.

Willett says she contacted Reynolds, who said a board meeting had been called - but no resolution was reached.

Eventually it was Willett's partner's parents who provided a £7,000 loan to cover the rest of what she initially thought would be £10,000 fees.

That figure rose by another £4,000 and Willett started her own crowdfunding page to raise the money. She set a target of £10,000 and hit it within 24 hours.

"I have never felt so grateful in my life," she said through tears.

"It's pretty emotional because I never expected people to be so kind and so generous. That was a contrast to how unsupported I had felt - feeling incredibly supported by the rugby community."

It has now been eight weeks since Willett's operation and she has an estimated recovery time of 9-12 months.

She says she would only return to play rugby league for Ireland if there were "wholesale change to the board", but remains committed to returning to her rugby union career.

Willett adds: "I know I want to come back and be the best rugby player I can be - that's the focus."