The youthful Strikers squad - which has an average age of just 22 - begins its national tournament with a difficult task against heavyweights NSW at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Canberra Lakers will be without injured Kookaburras striker Glenn Turner when they kick-off their campaign against hosts NT in Darwin on Friday night.

Both tournaments run from Friday through to October 2, with the eight teams split into two pools of four before the knock-out stages.

The Strikers are in pool A with NSW, WA and Tasmania, while the Lakers take on WA, Victoria and the NT in the preliminary rounds.

Flanagan and Hockeyroos teammate Edwina Bone have joined the Canberra squad from their commitments with the national team.

The Strikers have also gained the services of New Zealand Black Sticks duo Jenny Storey and Erin Goad.

Despite being only 23, Flanagan is vastly experienced on the international stage heading into next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"I think if we can have a good performance in our first game, it's going to set us up for the finals," Flanagan said.

"You're always aiming for the result, but as it's a pool, we need to win two out of the three, so if we can get that result first, it does take a lot of pressure off.

"The first game will set the tone for the tournament and hopefully the result will take care of itself, but it's going to be very tough against a quality NSW team."

Flanagan said Storey and Goad added valuable depth to the Strikers.

"We played a practice game yesterday and they're going to add a lot of value," Flanagan said.

"We have a very new team and a lot of younger players, so to have girls with a bit more experience at that level is really crucial for us.

"We've ended up fourth or fifth the last couple of years and last year had one of the best teams we've had in the last five years, but we weren't able to score goals."

FRIDAY: Australian Hockey League:

Men: Canberra Lakers v NT in Darwin, 8.30pm (AEST).

Women: Canberra Strikers v NSW in Sydney, 7pm.