"It's about her application and attitude," said Bartlett's club coach Tammi Wilson. "Her work ethic and willingness to do whatever it takes. With other people they could have been career ending injuries."
Her shoulder problems started as a touch player — with the constant diving — and were only accentuated with the unrelenting contact in league.
"[By 2017 it was happening after every game of league," Bartlett told the Herald. "But by that stage I could just put it back in by myself, basically just roll them back in.
I would recover throughout the week and then try again on Sunday. [But] because it was happening so often and I was in so much pain after the games [my family] were really influencing me to go to the surgeons and come up with a plan."
Surgery was booked, though Bartlett wanted to get both done with minimal overlap, to shorten the recovery time, but the medical professionals pushed back.
"I was pushing him to put them closer together," said Bartlett. "I asked for six weeks and he said 'No way, because you won't be able to move your arms at all'. I said 'okay, cut it down as far as you can'. And we agreed on 10 weeks."
Just hearing about the operation makes you wince.
"They cut a piece of bone from your back and they screw it on to the front of your shoulder," explains Bartlett. "Then it is not ligaments stopping it coming out, it is now bone stopping it coming out."
Bartlett underwent the procedures in January and April last year.
"It was as soon as I got out of the sling on one side, just so I still had some movement just so I could do some things," said Bartlett. "That was to cut down the recovery period because it is about six months so if I could get those overlapping it would."
After that was a long and painful rehabilitation process.
"The first six weeks on each side are terrible," admits Bartlett. "It's quite painful, especially as I was trying hard to push it. So you do, you take the pain. It was worth it. But it is quite painful, yes."
And it was frustrating.
"One of the worse things for a girl was trying to tie your hair up….because you can't lift your arms above your head. Even simple things like putting your clothes on. And there are times when it just catches something and that's when it would be super painful, but it was all a mental thing. You had to get through it day by day and once you are out of the sling you are all good."
Bartlett, who works full time as a student recruitment officer at Massey University, was on the sidelines for more than a year.
"It's a real mental game with two reconstructions," said Bartlett. "You have to do everything that you can do and you have to focus on the positives. I still had two legs so I could still run even though I didn't have any upper body. So you have to focus on the good things."
Bartlett made her return to pre-season training at Richmond and was confident enough to engage in contact work, even with the men.
"We had some contact sessions open to everyone and Maddy didn't hold back," said Richmond Roses co-coach Wilson. "She's pretty tough."
On Saturday she finally gets to run out for the Ferns, after being in the squad on two previous occasions.
"I don't think it is a feeling you can actually describe until you put that jersey on. I know the crowd will be a sea of red but hopefully I can block that out and focus on my game."
