Anna Flanagan will use the lure of Commonwealth Games selection as the motivation for her Hockeyroos comeback mission after being thrown a national squad lifeline on Saturday.
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Flanagan was one of three Canberra players added to a Hockey Australia development squad, giving the 171-cap international a chance to prove herself in a national set up almost a year after quitting the sport.
It comes just weeks after Flanagan opened up about her mental demons and an eating disorder she battled for almost a decade.
But Flanagan says she is drawing strength from knowing her story is helping others in similar situations and will throw everything into her bid to win back a permanent Hockeyroos squad.
The development group will train in the hope of being called into the Australian team to play international matches, but they are not giving Hockey Australia paid contracts.
The big carrot for Flanagan is a chance to force her way back into the national team and play at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.
"They've given me this opportunity to train and that means I will get chances to play," Flanagan said.
"I know I'm in a tricky spot. But I want to play, I want to be involved in international games and that's where I feel I play my best.
"This is a big positive step and it's a natural progression. I'm excited by that and I have to view it in that way.
"I don't really know where this leaves me. But it is national recognition and from where I've come from in the past 12 months, I'm really proud of that."
Flanagan's Rio Olympic Games dreams were all but crushed by a drink-driving conviction last year.
The 25-year-old managed to fight her way back into the extended squad and went to Rio as a non-playing reserve.
But her hockey career was on the brink at the end of last year when she breached team protocols and took an indefinite break from the sport.
She revealed earlier this month she had been battling a secret eating disorder since she was a teenager and opened up as part of her role as a headspace day ambassador.
"Initially, it started as anorexia and I restricted my diet but it turned into bulimia. It was a really unhealthy relationship with food and how I viewed it," Flanagan told News Ltd.
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist has her sights firmly set on proving her doubters wrong and chasing selection to compete on the Gold Coast.
She will start that journey when she resumes training on Monday and is keen to impress national coaches.
"I'm going to take this small opportunity and grab it with two hands," Flanagan said.
"It's a weird one because I've been here before and I've got a lot of emotions at the moment.
"Opening up two weeks ago about the mental health battle ... being an ambassador it felt right for me to share.
"I found talking about it initially helped me get through some of my issues so I wanted other people to know there are places out there. People have opened up to me as well, which has been amazing."
Naomi Evans and Laura Gray will join Flanagan as additions to the squad, while Kalindi Commerford is already part of the group trying to earn Hockeyroos spots.
