damn :/
really sucks man.
I just play rugby league for fun but it's fkn mentally draining as well as the physical toll. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this...
I can relate. It's not a good spot to be in.
Before any of you knew me, I was a hoop addict - this was way before I was on forums etc. I had been dedicated to basketball since probably age 8, through ~22 years old (around 2004-2005 or so). From probably ~14 years old onwards, I couldn't stop getting injured. Broken fingers & arms, bad muscle tears & strains, tendinitis, contusions, lacerations on my head (tho not too many sprains - bionic ankles *ninja*). Just got so annoying that I finally stopped playing basketball. It was really hard for me to "quit", but it had been brewing for years. Every time i'd get back to 100%, then get injured again, i'd think maybe I should be putting this energy into something else. The good news is, I found other stuff (safer and just as fun, or more fun).
edit: I think my timeline was:
basketball (14 years, injuries/quit) + boxing (2 years, injuries/quit), + dunking (4 years, quit), getting fat (3 years), running (4 years through current)
but I eventually realized, it's more like: running (14 + 2 + 4 + 4)
my lesson learned: stay away from contact sports.
Anyway, i'm definitely not saying you should retire or anything - that's 100% up to you obviously. But, when it gets to the point where it's becoming a serious mental drain/stress, it might make sense to step away for a while & focus on something that's challenging but will also keep you healthy for a considerable amount of time.
You didn't hurt yourself actually playing rugby, but - you did rush your recovery to practice for the league. That's one of the big problems I find with team sports & such - once you get in that team mindset, you'll do things that you know you shouldn't because you don't want to let down your teammates etc. Take care of yourself first & foremost.
Heal up man!
pc!