The Kookaburras are set to crank up their World Cup defence another gear when they face England in their second pool match on Tuesday (2230 AEDT) in India.
After shedding rust with a 2-1 win over Ireland in their tournament opener, Australia can all but cement a quarter-final spot with a win over England.
The world No.1 ranked Australians have won their past three matches against England, including a close 2-1 semi-final win on their way to Commonwealth Games gold on the Gold Coast.
"Like any sport, we love beating the Poms and we've had the wood on them the last few occasions," forward Tom Craig told AAP.
While England are ranked No.7 in the world Craig insists the old enemy, who drew 2-2 with China in their first match, pose a tricky opposition compared to their European counterparts.
"They're a bit more aggressive than some other European teams. European teams in general are smooth, silky, they like building up the play," he said.
"England have their European feel, building their play and look for the right opportunity, but they're also quite dogged and play hard and mark tight.
"They're always challenging in that regard.
"Their style of hockey isn't as pretty as the Dutch, Belgium and Germany, but they make up for it with their energy and determination."
A win for Australia would all but sew up top spot ahead of their final pool game against China, who are No.17 in the world, on Friday night.
And they've already overcome some adversity, with a number of players dealing with a stomach virus during the early part of the tournament.
Craig said India has always proven to be a challenging environment to play in.
"There's sickness, for one thing. We've had a couple of guys go down already, so you're always on edge about what do with hygiene," he said.
"With the crowd, you can't hear someone talking to you 20 metres away. You've got to change the way you play because the Indian crowd love running hockey.
"Once someone runs with the ball the crowds builds into a frenzy, and sometimes the person on the ball impacts their decision-making.
"It's wild, so it's like no other place."
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