That return was ultimately cut short by chronic knee injuries, with the Shellharbour product forced to move into a coaching role at Hockey NSW midway through 2018.

Despite the transition to an off-field role, Sablowski had an itch she couldn't quite scratch.

The desire to get back out on the pitch and play elite hockey never went away.

So when a new national league, the Hockey One competition, was announced, she sensed an opportunity. This, she felt, was the perfect chance to return to elite play.

There was just one problem. Sablowski was pregnant with her second child.

For Sablowski, however, this was more a challenge than a roadblock.

So, after giving birth to Lewis in March, the 30-year-old embarked on a gruelling six-month journey to return to full fitness and gain selection in the NSW side.

Remarkably, Sablowski will realise her goal on Sunday when she turns out for the NSW Pride in their opening round clash with Adelaide in Sydney.

"Since I retired in 2016, I've missed the competitive side of it," Sablowski said. "I did play a year of club hockey, but I missed the real elite level of competition.

"I felt I still had unfinished business, I wanted to go out there and see how it went for me. Now having two boys, it's a goal I set, I knew it would be a challenge in every aspect to get there, but having a couple of kids, I wanted to see whether I could push myself to see if I could get back."

Sablowksi only returned to the pitch on Saturday, where she played for Albion Park in their Illawarra Hockey grand final victory. That game was followed by two trial matches with the Pride against a Korean team during the week.

With match fitness hard to come by, Sablowski said she will take plenty of confidence out of the appearances.

"I haven't had any match conditioning, so I was a bit gassed the first five minutes on Saturday, but I warmed into the match well and was feeling good aerobically.

"It's very beneficial being able to play these matches prior to the competition. For the most part skill-wise I was pretty good, but just getting used to playing and reading the play, it's much more important to play matches."

While she remains firmly focused on getting through Sunday's game, and the Hockey One campaign as a whole, in one piece, Sablowski recognises there is one long-term goal looming on the horizon.

A fourth Olympic Games.

"At the end of the day it's still a distant thought to potentially make Tokyo. With Lewis coming after Harvey, the timing fell into place. I knew I was going to have to play in this event if I wanted to vie for a spot in Tokyo.

"I'm not shutting any doors, but it will be determined by my body and if my knees hold up. If they don't, I'll still get to mentor the youngsters coming through on the field. I've been doing a fair bit of coaching, but it's different when you're off the field as opposed to on the field with them."