THE return of some familiar faces and the inclusion of two rising stars highlight the announcement of the 2020 Hockeyroos squad - which features Mollymook's Kalindi Commerford and Gerringong's Grace Stewart.
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The new additions include capped Hockeyroos Laura Barden, Kate Jenner and Gabi Nance, young gun Amy Lawton who has been elevated to a permanent spot in the 27-player squad, while uncapped 20-year-old Karri Somerville has received her first senior call up.
All except for Barden were members of this year's national development squad.
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The squad selected by coach Paul Gaudoin was based on a range of factors underpinned by having personnel who will provide the Hockeyroos with the best chance of success in what is a huge year, beginning with the FIH Pro League in late January and leading into Tokyo 2020 in late July.
"Whether it has been VAA (Visiting Athlete Agreement) opportunities, performances in the DTE (Daily Training Environment) and in international matches, form in the Hockey One League, as well as the history of some of the girls, all of these factors have been taken into account," Gaudoin said
"It's a very balanced squad - we've included some experience and some quality...of course it's disappointing to lose girls out of the squad but it's a part of evolving the Hockeyroos.
"I think the notable thing about seeing players who have come back into the squad after being part of the Hockeyroos before is that you can come back in, learn and develop and still get an opportunity.
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"Certainly the efforts of Laura, Gabi and Kate have proven that if you work hard enough and you're consistent in your desires and training programs, you can get that opportunity.
"Performance on the field is extremely important, as is performance off the field, and we need girls who are going to set the standards high in how they go about it on and off the field, and I'm confident the five girls who have been added will do an excellent job of that."
Barden, Jenner and Nance combined have made over 230 appearances for the Hockeyroos, the latter two having both competed at an Olympic Games.
Jenner most recently played every match for the Hockeyroos at the Tokyo test event back in August, while she also featured in FIH Pro League matches against United Statesand Argentina.
Barden's last Hockeyroos appearance came against Spain in January 2018, while Nance last wore the green and gold in Australia's 2018 Commonwealth Games campaign.
Victorian 17-year-old Lawton made her Hockeyroos debut in the Pro League against New Zealand, played in the Tokyo test event and since then has not looked back having ben part of the Hockeyroos team for the Oceania Cup and recent Olympic qualifying series win over Russia.
Somerville's rise comes off the back of an impressive Hockey One season with the Perth Thundersticks, her performances doing more than enough to capture the eyes of the national selectors.
While the players that made the squad will be delighted with their selections to put themselves in Olympic contention, Gaudoin reinforced the importance of every individual buying into the process and the cause from the outset.
"The coaching staff and the players know the work is in front of us and that this is just the beginning, he said.
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"While it's great to be in the squad, the work starts now.
"We've got an induction in early December which is where we will set the scene for what will be an exciting year and one that will be filled with hard work, dedication and also some blood, sweat and tears in order to achieve our goals at the end of it."
The Hockeyroos' next official international is on January 25 in Sydney against Belgium in their opening match of the FIH Pro League 2020.
