Australia captain Lucas Neill has no intention of quitting international football to make way for the new generation and says the onus is on younger Socceroos to force senior players out of the team.
The 35-year-old former Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United central defender is a member of Australia's 'golden generation' and represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup.
Now considering his club options after concluding a one-season deal with Sydney FC, Neill said his focus was on giving himself the best preparation for what he hopes will be a third successive World Cup finals appearance in Brazil next year.
"Once you play for Australia, it's not a job, it's an honour," he told Fox Sports TV's Sunday Shootout. "No one is going to tell me I'm retiring from Australia. I'm playing for my country and I'll play for as long as I can.
"It's up to somebody else to come and say: 'Right, I'm better than you now. A better leader and a better defender'.
"And I'll step aside."
While Neill's desire to play for the national team has not waned, Australia have struggled to get to grips with a generational transition.
German coach Holger Osieck said before a key World Cup qualifier against Oman last month that the form of younger players was offering him more and more options.
However, the Socceroos needed a man-of-the-match performance from 33-year-old Tim Cahill to drag them back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw at Sydney's Olympic Stadium.
Neill, who missed the match through suspension, said it was up to the young players to prove their worth on the pitch.
"When I was a young guy ... I never got my chance handed to me," Neill said.
"I had to fight for everything ... prove myself, make news all over the world, in Europe, and really be consistently playing well for my club to even get a sniff in the squad.
"I think the onus is on the players themselves. Not whether they play or who they play with, a big club or small club, but if they get their chance, they're playing for Australia."
The draw with Oman means Australia need to win at least a point in their next qualifier, away to runaway Asian Group B leaders Japan on June 4, to keep their campaign on track.
Neill thinks the Socceroos will still qualify and that he will be leading them in Brazil, wherever he ends up playing his club football next year.
"I'm confident we'll make Brazil and next year is arguably the biggest of my career because I need to be at my best to make sure Australia has the best chance in Brazil," he added.