Efforts to acclimatise to the conditions have been hampered by coronavirus restrictions, with many athletes grounded by lockdowns and border closures.

Wollongong's Sarah Carli was one of eight athletes to be blocked from attending a camp in Cairns, the Queensland Government denying entry in the same week they welcomed 13 NRL clubs.

Read more: Virus concerns cannot snuff Olympics flame for Illawarra's athletes

The Kookaburras and Hockeyroos have battled their own COVID restrictions, the two teams unable to train during the recent Perth lockdown.

They were, however, able to travel to the Northern Territory last weekend for a training camp in Darwin.

With the city currently experiencing highs in the low 30s, Grace Stewart said the week has been the perfect way to prepare for Tokyo's summer heat.

"The main priority for this week has definitely been heat acclimatisation," Stewart said.

"There's also a lot of little tactical things for us and also being together for team culture. There's been a lot to get through, but it's been a good week."

The Australian teams have been playing practice games in Darwin, with the sides to also contest warm-up matches upon arrival in Japan.

With everything on the line in Tokyo, Kookaburras star Blake Govers said it's vital they get everything right in the final few weeks.

"This time in Darwin is crucial for us getting the heat acclimation, so we can perform when it matters most," Govers said. "We have the science behind us and we trust the science.

"We have a few weeks now until the Olympics gold-medal match, so we have to get our skills in and make sure we're performing when it really matters."

Stewart's path to the Olympics has not been smooth sailing, the 24-year-old battling a hamstring injury over the past couple of months.

That led to some nervous moments as the final team was selected and the Gerringong talent was relieved to hear her name read out.

"The hamstring is all good now, but it was a stressful few weeks waiting for selection and not being out there showing what I could do," Stewart said. "I'm back to full training now, so am all good.

"I know I'll be ready once the Games start. I played a couple of games the last few days and we have practice games against Great Britain and South Africa when we get there."

The past five years have been a period of upheaval for the Hockeyroos, Adam Commens sacked for serious misconduct in Rio following a disappointing quarter-finals exit.

Successor Paul Gaudoin's reign ended in controversy in March, with Katrina Powell stepping in to right the ship four months out from Tokyo.

For Stewart, the turmoil is in the rear-view mirror and she's confident the Hockeyroos are genuine gold-medal contenders.

"During that period there was a lot going on in the background, but we were still getting the job done. Now we've had a solid few months of very little distraction, we've continued to build and grow as a team.

"We've just got a few tactical pieces to hone in on over the last few weeks. There's a lot of unknowns about Tokyo, whoever deals with those the best over there will win."