Klau is hoping the training against Swifts goal attack and shooters Samantha Wallace (Trinidad and Tobago) and Helen Housby (England) will give her a head-start when she comes up against the duo in July.

"The girls have just been performing so well. I'm practising against the world's best," Klau told AAP.

"They're international goal shooter and goal attack - that will definitely help leading into the World Cup.

"They are challenging me each training. I think that's really improved my game."

Klau is part of a 12-player squad named on Thursday which includes only three players from the triumphant 2015 campaign - captain Caitlin Bassett, Caitlin Thwaites and Paige Hadley.

She put her selection down to consistency and the encouragement from coaches, when deciding to do fewer university subjects this year.

"They just instilled so much confidence and belief in me and said 'give it all you've got,'" Klau said, who is studying a masters degree in occupational therapy.

"You don't want to get to the selection and only just miss out because you were too stressed from uni. I put everything forward."

Two-time champion and Diamonds leader Caitlin Bassett praised Klau's selection.

"They've definitely picked who is in form at the moment," Bassett told AAP.

"I think Paige Hadley and Sarah Klau and what they've been doing with the Swifts has been amazing so not surprised to see their names in there.

"I definitely think we have a team who can go and win gold. It's going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to be really important to gel. What you do in your club is totally different than what happens in the Australian environment."

Australian Associated Press