And this time, there’s significant pressure on the Blues.

Last year Hill helped NSW claim its first national under-21 crown in a decade, with the Blues rocketing to last year’s title on the back on an undefeated campaign capped by a thumping 7-2 victory in the final over Victoria.

But, despite being defending champions in 2015, the under 21s veteran says there's no added expectation on the Blues in 2015. 

Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway.

"There is an expectation ... but every year we are expected to be in the final and go close to winning it so the expectation won't worry us too much," Hill said.

"We always get that pressure regardless if we are defending the title or not.

"But it will be good to do the double especially in my last year because it's tough to even win one 21s title."

Hill believes this year's squad is as strong, if not stronger, than the victorious 2014 group.

"I think we will go really well again. We have a strong squad with a mixture of experience and youth and with three current kookaburra players coming back into the squad will make us tougher to beat," he added. 

Currently competing in the Sydney East Hockey Association, Hill joins Parkes product Jack Elliot as the only other Central West junior in the NSW under-21 side, which will start its championship defence in the Australian Capital Territory on July 12 and, all going well, cap it with a final appearance on July 19.

Hill’s inclusion in the under-21 side to compete at July’s national championship caps a strong run of state caps for Orange’s junior hockey system, with Orange Ex-Services’ Chloe Barrett (under 18 girls), Jack Fleming and Bailey Ferguson (under-15 boys’) and Confederates junior Eva-Reith-Snare (under -5 girls) all catching the eye of Blues selectors in 2015.

Ex-Services gun defender Madie Smith, too, has earned representative accolades, named in the Australian Futures Program.

NSW UNDER 21s: Timothy Brand (North West Sydney), Paul Counsell (Illawarra South Coast), Tom Craig (Hockey New England), Matthew Dawson (Sydney East Hockey Association), Jack Elliott (Parkes), Blake Govers (Illawarra South Coast), Joshua Gregory (Northern Sydney and Beaches), Jack Hayes (Illawarra South Coast), Nicholas Hill (Sydney East Hockey Association), Brandon Horner (Lithgow), Max Hughes (Illawarra South Coast), Samuel Liles (North West Sydney), Kurt Lovett (Northern Sydney and Beaches), Ryan Proctor (Metro South West), Mitchell Scotcher (Sydney East Hockey Association), Shayne Smith (Sydney South), Nathanael Stewart (Metro South West), Ash Thomas (North West Sydney).