We're only halfway into the year, but plenty of players from the Goulburn District Hockey Association (GDHA) have already been selected for national squads.

One of the biggest achievements so far this year though, would have to be Mikayla Jones making the Australian u21s girls (Jillaroos) side following the successful Domestic Series on the Gold Coast earlier this year.

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Jones was one of 21 athletes to be selected for the Junior Hockey World Cup at the end of next year, but the Jillaroos squad will be reselected after the Australian u21 Championships in Perth from July 20-27.

Jillaroos head coach Stacia Strain said she was grateful to Hockey Australia for putting together the Domestic Series.

"It was an incredible opportunity for both coaches and athletes alike to come back together in a high performance environment after so long due to the disruptions of COVID-19," Stain said.

"It has enabled us to set a strong foundation technically, tactically, and most importantly culturally to launch our program through to the Junior World Cup."

Brothers Ben and Jake Staines were selected for the men's National Development Squad (NDS) and their head coach Colin Batch set them the challenge of continuing to improve because more opportunities would come.

The NDS is a stepping stone to the Kookaburras and Batch said it gives players who bloom later than others the chance to hold onto the dream of representing the national team.

"We are trying to assess players who can go to the level of what we expect elite international hockey to be," Batch said.

"There is no single process with development.

"Some players take longer than others and it is valuable to have the NDS for that reason.

"There could be some late developers that break into a squad later than what some do who come straight out of the Junior Squad."

With the Olympics coming to Brisbane in 2032, those in the Australian Futures (u18s) squad will be at their peak at that time and playing at those games is definitely the goal for Emmalee Croker, Georgie Smithers and Dylan Downey who were all selected.

For those in the Futures squad, it is the first time they would have been nationally identified.

The selected athletes will be part of a six-part program that includes individual athlete performance planning, online technical and tactical sessions, dual career, mental health and wellbeing, and a training camp in Canberra in October.

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