AUSTRALIA has always managed to produce excellent goalkeepers, and the current crop is no exception. In fact, if we had the depth outfield that we do in goal, I’d be a lot more confident about our future.

For a long time Mark Schwarzer was effectively unchallenged as the No 1, but the three goalkeepers in the World Cup squad are all good enough to push each other. The team benefits from that ultimately.

It’s been really pleasing to see Mat Ryan come of age at this tournament, and prove himself an elite-level keeper on the world stage.

There is a bit of a debate going on in Australia at the moment about what skills a goalkeeper needs, but when you see the quality of Mat’s passing with his feet, it’s easy to see why a lot of people think that keepers should be judged in part on what they do with the ball once they’ve caught it.

Mat’s distribution is a key part of our game, as it allows us to keep possession even when the opposition are trying to press. And of course his shotstopping has got better and better, bolstered by experience.

Confidence also plays a part, after the season Mat has had in the English Premier League, earning a lot of praise for how he played with Brighton.

But the two other keepers in Bert van Marwijk’s squad also have reason to believe in themselves. After the awful circumstances of his withdrawal from the World Cup in 2010, Brad Jones has established himself as one of the best keepers in Holland.

It was so important for him to step out of the understudy role he had at Liverpool. Being on the bench, even at a top club, is no substitute for the rhythm and reflexes you fine tune by playing every week.

Likewise Danny Vukovic, who made a very brave choice 12 months ago. Ensconced at Sydney FC, having been crucial in their title success, it would have been easy for Vuka to stay put and see out his career in his home city.

But he had an itch to scratch, having never played properly overseas. He took the risk of heading to Belgium, and his reward was the Genk supporters’ player of the season award.

Both he and Jones, let alone Matty, can go on for several seasons. Mitch Langerak’s displays in Japan will keep him in the mix, and beyond them Paul Izzo (23) and Tom Glover (20) both have the raw talent to suggest they can work towards the level you need to play international football.

The conveyor belt of good Australian goalkeepers is still turning, a very reassuring thought.