Jess Sergis believes if not for her decision to forgo five weeks of wages to focus on recovering from her knee injury, she may not be playing in the NRLW finals.
The Sydney Roosters centre held fears for her season when scans revealed she had suffered a medial cruciate ligament injury late in the round-three defeat of Wests Tigers in August.
"When I first did it, I felt a pop and was in excruciating pain," Sergis said.
"I found out a few hours later after my scan that I didn't feel any more pain because it was completely torn off.
"I got a few opinions and a couple said that it was season over and that I should rehab well and to not rush anything."
But after a hand injury rubbed Sergis out of last year's shock semi-final loss to Gold Coast, the 27-year-old felt determined not to spend another post-season in the casualty ward.
"It was a bit of a deja vu moment," Sergis said.
But ensuring she would be fit for the finals meant making a significant financial sacrifice.
With the blessing of her boss, Sergis put her day job as a support worker on hold for five weeks and prioritised her recovery.
Sergis wasn't worried about the hit she would take to the hip pocket, though.
"I feel worse for my kids at work because I'm a support worker, so to take five weeks away from them, I felt quite guilty," she said.
"I knew that they love seeing me on the field, so it wasn't just for me, it was for them as well.
"It comes with sacrifices and financial hardship because we've all got to work, but this is more important for me. I'd rather be heading into the week that we've got, and I'd do it all again."
As part of her recovery, Sergis underwent platelet-rich plasma injections, which she described as "horrible", and spent most days at the Roosters' headquarters with the medical staff.
The dedication proved worth it, with Sergis returning via the bench to help the Roosters beat Newcastle in Sunday's grand final qualifier.
"I feel like if I didn't do that (stop work for five weeks) then I wouldn't have played on Sunday," she said.
Tony Herman's Cronulla side is now all that stands between the Roosters and premiership glory.
Sergis returns to the starting side for Sunday's grand final, but would have been unfazed had coach John Strange kept her on the bench.
"I don't care where I am, where I'm playing, as long as I can just get around the girls. I'm a happy lady," she said.
