World Cup hopeful Lydia Williams hopes to catch up with former Wallabies captain David Pocock to discuss the mental challenge of two knee reconstructions as she edges closer to her comeback.
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After sitting helpless on the sideline as Canberra United won the W-League title, Williams notched a small milestone in her road to recovery by joining the Australian Matildas in a camp at the AIS this week.
The Canberra goalkeeper is racing the clock to prove her fitness before the Matildas World Cup campaign in Canada in June.
Williams missed the entire W-League season after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament eight months ago while playing in the US.
But to boost her rehabilitation program, Williams hopes to pick the brain of ACT Brumbies flanker Pocock after he endured a similar injury nightmare over the past two years.
Pocock made his rugby comeback in a pre-season trial on Friday night after playing just five games in the past two Super Rugby seasons.
"I haven't had a chance to speak to [Pocock], but I think that would be cool to see how he went about things and how long different things took," Williams said.
"I've just been working at the AIS and that's different for me because I haven't really had that opportunity with a solid gym program before.
"I'm trying to do the simple things right and correct things that have been a little bit off. It's about simplifying it, muscular remembering, and the more I do it, the better I become."
Williams was Australia's first-choice goalkeeper last year before her knee gave way while playing for the Western New York Flash in the US National Women's Soccer League.
She had previously torn her anterior cruciate ligament while playing in Sweden in 2012, but fought back to be Australia's best shot-stopper.
However, she faces the tough task of winning back the No.1 jersey before the World Cup without knowing when her next game will be.
The 26-year-old hopes to be fit by April, giving her two months to prepare for the World Cup.
She has been in constant contact with new Matildas coach Alen Stajcic and was part of a training camp in Canberra to help with her transition back into the national set-up.
"I am a little bit nervous about [the limited game time before the World Cup], it depends on what we're doing in camps and how I'm involved," she said.
"I'm in the camp as an injured player on modified training so they can monitor what I'm doing.
"I can pretty much do everything, but it's all in controlled environments with no unpredictability. It's all about getting the strength and functional movement back."
Australia will compete in March at the Cyprus Cup, where it has been drawn in the same group as England, Finland and the Netherlands.
The Matildas then have to get past world No.1 the US, European powerhouse Sweden (ranked five) and nine-time African champions Nigeria (ranked 35) in the group stage at the World Cup.
