While no media at the press conference in Brisbane asked about his squad selections, choosing to grill him on the Alen Stajcic situation and rumors of there being a culture issue, he was eventually questioned about his choices later in the day. 

"When I came into the role, I watched as much as possible and that includes games going back 18 months," he said.

"I watch as much W-League as I can in the short space of time but I've also relied on my staff for input but ultimately I made the final call, I made the final decision, I picked this squad."

The former Socceroos assistant named a 23-player squad to face trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, 2018 Asian Cup opponents Korea Republic and South Americans Argentina. 

There were six changes to the squad which faced Chile under Stajcic in November 2018 with Eliza Campbell, Aivi Luik, Teigen Allen, Gema Simon, Teresa Polias and Hayley Raso coming back into the squad.

Injured Amy Sayer, Larissa Crummer and Katrina Gorry missed out, as did Adelaide United forward Michelle Heyman.

Two inclusions, Allen and Polias, haven't worn the green and gold for a number of years and Milicic decided to reward them with call ups to the national side after successful W-League seasons.

"They've been there in the past, it's just been a while. Teigen has had a successful season with Melbourne Victory," he said. 

"She's been rewarded for having a good season and even though she hasn't played for three years it's nice to see her back in the scene.

"Teresa is another one. Winning the grand final and I look at her play and she reads games well, intercepts a lot, which is important in the position she plays.

"You've got to reward form, I'm really looking forward to seeing them play starting Saturday."

However, there were also surprise omissions from the squad including dual-code star Jenna McCormick and Sydney FC defender Elizabeth Ralston. Both had outstanding seasons with teammates and W-League based coaches backing them to receive a call-up.

While Milicic didn't want to speak too much on individuals who had missed out, the 44-year-old did say that this squad is just for the upcoming tournament and this could change.

"It's a very strong squad and the message is simple that positions are up for grabs going into the World Cup," he said.

"This camp is giving me the opportunity to look at people first hand but again there is a longer list of people that missed out for various reasons.

"What I will say is that is that myself and the staff will monitor all these players."

The Matildas will come together in Brisbane tomorrow for a pre-tournament camp before flying to Sydney for their first match of the Cup of Nations against New Zealand on February 28 at Jubilee Stadium.