Behich is 24 now and after not being in the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2014 finals he is hell-bent on becoming a regular in it on the road to Russia and then playing in that tournament.
The onus, Behich said, is on him to perform.
The belief among the Socceroos is that coach Ange Postecoglou doesn't play favourites and that, when it comes to selection, everything - from general attitude and commitment to training, right through to form in games - comes into calculations and every player gets what he deserves.
"The boss always says there are never any promises and it's up to each individual to put his hand up and show he's ready to play," Behich said.
"If you're called upon, then it's up to you to make sure you take your chance, and that is how it should be. I think it's always up to the player to show the boss he wants to get selected.
"My goal is to keep making sure I'm playing regular football for my club and performing well there and that when I'm called upon for the national team I'm fit and ready to do a job."
Left-back Behich, who plays for Bursaspor in the Turkish top flight, said each time he realised a goal in his football career he set himself a new and more difficult one.
"When I look back at my time at Green Gully it seems so long ago, but it's less than 10 years ago," Behich said. "Sometimes, I pinch myself, having come so far.
"You always set goals and one goal was to play in the A-League, and once I played in the A-League I wanted to play for the Socceroos, and then I wanted to play abroad.
"You need to set these goals to keep challenging yourself and then you've got to work hard to try to make them happen. If you don't set yourself goals, sometimes you get lost, with no clear definition of what you're trying to achieve.
"Sometimes you realise your goals and sometimes you don't. I'm lucky my goals in football have come off so far."
While Behich was at Melbourne Heart, coach John van't Schip transformed him into a defender after he had primarily been an attacker.
It was the move that essentially set him up for Socceroos selection, because his attacking instincts meant he was a defender who was comfortable going forward.
That is the sort of full-back Postecoglou prefers and although previous Socceroos coach Holger Osieck gave Behich his international debut it is Postecoglou who is offering him longevity at that level, if he is good enough.
The fact his Turkish club side likes to use him similarly is an added benefit for Behich.
"I got converted into a full-back when I was at Heart and I haven't looked back since," Behich said.
"Dean Heffernan was an experienced defender at Heart at the time and he helped me a lot, which I'm always grateful for.
"It's good to be able to play a few positions because you never know when you'll need that versatility and I'm comfortable playing wherever the team needs me, but playing at left-back I'm really happy.
"I've got a lot of experience under my belt doing that in the last couple of years - especially this season in Turkey.
"Our coach is similar to Ange in that he wants us to play possession-based football, with short passes and an attacking mindset.
"It has worked out very well for me, because I'm in the national team."
Behich said he had no plans to leave Bursaspor any time soon.
"I've had a successful season," he said. "I played 30-odd games and had the chance to play in the cup final.
"We lost to Galatasaray, but it was a great experience being involved in that as well. I think as a team we did really well and I was also really happy with my own form.
"I've still got a year remaining on my contract. It's an established top four or five club over the last five or six years, so I'm really happy to keep playing there and I'm really looking forward to next season."
