Commonwealth Games hopeful Anna Flanagan says the chance to reignite her international career makes her feel "like a schoolgirl" after being invited back into the Hockeyroos inner sanctum.
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Flanagan will return to Perth next week on a "visiting athlete scholarship" to train with the Hockeyroos eight months after taking an indefinite break from the sport.
The former golden girl is itching for a chance to prove herself and win a spot in the national team after rediscovering her love of hockey and a desire to play against the best in the world.
Flanagan contemplated quitting hockey forever at the end of last year after being convicted of drink driving and losing her Hockeyroos spot for the Rio Olympic Games.
The emotional rollercoaster led her to Sydney for a lifestyle change and Flanagan said he was ready to prove how far she has come.
"It's like the first call I got when I was 17 and at school to tell me I was in my first Australian squad," Flanagan said.
"This opportunity is just to train, there's nothing else guaranteed. But I've got the opportunity and now I'm so excited ... I'm 25 now but I feel like a schoolgirl again.
"I feel relaxed about it and just excited. I haven't put any pressure on myself, I'm happy with how I'm playing. I think I'm a different person to when I said goodbye [at the end of last year].
"It's nice. It will be a lot different and I'll be a lot happier. I'm so much happier.
"When I left [the Hockeyroos] I didn't like hockey, I was in a pretty rough state for a whole year."
Flanagan's phone lit up on Tuesday with former teammates expressing their happiness about her impending return.
She will train with the Hockeyroos for 10 days as part of the invitation in what will be the first step to the defender's road to redemption.
Flanagan has been playing in Sydney's club competition for Gordon and training at the NSW Institute of Sport.
She will also play for the Canberra Strikers at the Australian Hockey League in the coming months and hopes she can add to her 166 games for the Hockeyroos.
"This year has been unbelievable for me. I think I've got so much more balance in my life," said Flanagan, who also works at Fox Sports.
"I've had to find my way a bit and it really couldn't have gone much better. I was in the national program for seven years and it was different going back into a young club team.
"I tried to share some of the stuff I've done over the years ... it's been really fun."
Flanagan admits she is keen to earn back her Hockeyroos spot in time to chase a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next year.
Flanagan won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games and is a former world junior player of the year.
"Of course I have thought about the Commonwealth Games, it's one of my goals," Flanagan said.
"But at the same time if I don't make it, I'll be OK. I'm in a good place in life, but I'm excited to give it a red-hot crack. It's all one step at a time ... This doesn't mean I'll play in the squad, but it's a step."
