Midfielder Lily Brazel has started her legal battle with Hockey Australia after her contract was terminated.

The 25 year-old alleges she was kicked off the high-performance national programme after she requested time off for mental health reasons. 

She says she asked for six weeks off after it was announced in March that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The star has now lodged a discrimination claim with the Western Australian Equal Opportunity Commission discrimination board.

Brazel, who has earned 52 caps since making her debut in 2017, claims she was told by Hockey Australia that her request was rejected because she was mistaking mental health issues with unhappiness. 

"I was basically put in a position where I had to choose between looking after my mental health and my position in the team and consequently my Olympic dream and so I decided to prioritise my mental health," Brazel told The Daily Telegraph.

"That meant that my contract wasn’t renewed and rolled over like the rest of the squad members for the end of 2020, it finished in August.

"The main reason I’m speaking up and the reason I sought legal action is because I want Hockey Australia to be accountable for their actions because they’re failing and damaging our country’s best players.

"We’re continually getting pushed out the door and I want my teammates and future Hockeyroos to have an environment they deserve and the success they deserve and they’re just not getting that."

Brazel was part of the squad that won a silver medal in the 2019 FIH Pro League.