CANBERRA (FIBA Women's World Championship/2015 FIBA Oceania Women's Championship) - Australia are the No. 2 team in the FIBA bwin Ranking Women and have played at the last five Olympics, claiming medals each time.

But Opals coach Brendan Joyce says there are no sure things in sports and is warning his players to be focused and ready for the FIBA Oceania Women's Championship battles (15 and 17 August) when they will have to win against New Zealand's Tall Ferns if they plan on taking part in the Rio de Janeiro Games next year.

Speaking following the announcement that six of his 12 players from the FIBA Women's World Championship are in the 18-strong squad that will train at Gosford, north of Sydney, for an upcoming tour of Europe, Joyce said: "I don't take anything for granted.

"We are going to put the best team on the floor that we possibly can."

There’s no Olympic Games unless we beat New Zealand - Joyce

The squad does not have Penny Taylor, Erin Phillips or Marianna Tolo, arguably the three most important players in last year's team.

But Rebecca Allen, Nat Burton, Cayla Francis, Rachel Jarry, Tessa Lavey and Belinda Snell all reached the podium at Turkey 2014 and are again in the group that will be involved in the workouts at Gosford from 27 April to 2 May.

They will be keen to build on last summer's run which saw the Opals fall just once, to the United States in the Semi-Finals.

Joyce has also got one of the best players in the history of Australian women's basketball, Townsville Fire star and three-time Olympian Suzy Batkovic, among the 18, as well as Kathleen MacLeod, a member of the side that captured bronze at the 2012 London Games.

Batkovic, 34, last played for Australia in the British capital.

Snell, another three-time Olympian, was among the most important members for the Australian squad that captured the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women title, hitting big shots against hosts Brazil in the Semi-Finals of that tournament, while Francis emerged last year as a key player on both ends of the floor.

She followed up a terrific performance in Turkey by helping the Fire capture the WNBL crown and was then named to the All-Star Five at the end-of-season awards.

Francis finished second in the WNBL MVP voting behind Abby Bishop.

Another member of the All-Star Five that was not at the World Championship, Tess Madgen of the Melbourne Boomers, is in the 18.

Her Boomers teammate, Jarry, offered a tough, physical presence and excellent defense for Joyce at the World Championship and will be at Gosford.

On their European Tour, the Opals will square off against Serbia, Italy and Spain, the EuroBasket Women 2013 winners who claimed a silver medal at the World Championship.

Joyce is excited about the tour.

It [European tour] gives the Opals a great opportunity to play teams we'll play at the Olympics at full strength - Joyce

"That's enormous for me as a coach, but also to get some of the younger player's experience," Joyce said.

"We did a similar thing for our players in the lead up to the last World Championships. This is about the Opals maintaining consistent success."

Australia Opals training camp squad for Gosford (27 April-2 May) ahead of 2015 FIBA Oceania Women's Championship: Rebecca Allen, Suzy Batkovic, Sara Blicavs, Natalie Burton, Aimee Clydesdale, Katie Rae Ebzery, Cayla Francis, Madeleine Garrick, Rachel Jarry, Alice Kunek, Tessa Lavey, Tess Madgen, Kathleen MacLeod, Elyse Penaluna, Lauren Scherf, Belinda Snell, Stephanie Talbot and Kelly Wilson.

FIBA