The Stingers, as they are known, started the year with a clean sweep against Japan in a two-game series in Brisbane and they blew the scores right open with a 20-9 and 18-6 victories.

For Rio Olympian Zoe Arancini it was a great start to their year of Olympic preparation. 

"I think it’s very important, it sets the right tone for the season, builds confidence within team especially 18 months out from an Olympics," she said. 

"It affords us the opportunity to strengthen team combinations and build confidence amongst the team."

Australia has enjoyed much success at the Olympics since the introduction of the women's event at Sydney 2000. 

They took from gold on home soil against the United States before going on to pick up two more medals at Bejing 2008 and London 2012 while in Athens 2004 they just missed out on a medal. 

However, in Rio 2016 the tables turned for the Stingers, finishing sixth after Hungary fought back from being 5-1 down in the first half to level the game with only minutes left before going on to win the penalty shootout.

While 2019 is used as a time to prepare for 2020, it is also used as a year to earn a quota spot.

If the Stingers make the final of the World League and final of the World Championships they will earn their quota spot but if they do not there is still a chance to qualify at the Continental Championships next year. 

The Stingers are preparing to give themselves the best opportunity to earn that quota spot. 

"The World Championships are in July essentially our last major tournament before the Olympics and our final chance to test ourselves against other top international teams," Arancini said.

"Before World Championships we will have a training camp in Cairns which has similar climate conditions to Tokyo, testing our performance under similar conditions and assess if changes need to be made in preparation for Tokyo."

Many nations are giving themselves the best preparation for Tokyo by training in similar conditions, with July and August, considered the hottest and most humid time of the year. 

Just standing outdoors can make you sweat, so it's similar to the North Queensland weather. 

One of Australia's toughest opponents at the upcoming tournament will be the US who are considered one of the best in the world, having taken home the last two Olympic golds and the 2017 World Championship title. 

While there is pressure to perform and beat bigger nations like the US, it is something the team thrives on.

"There is always a feeling of pressure for every team member as we all have a strong desire to perform and to do the best for our team and country," Arancini said.

" [The] US has been dominant for last few years.

"It’s being able to harness that pressure and use it to drive you to optimise your performance."

The Stingers will be in Perth in March for the FINA Inter-Continental Cup to battle it out for the World League Super Final qualification.