A year is a hell of a lot in sport, just ask the Wallabies and Wallabies fans.
It was almost 14 months ago morale was at rock bottom after their first-ever group stages exit at the World Cup, highlighted by their worst-ever defeat at the event to Wales.
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Now, there is not only light at the end of the tunnel but genuine hope around the prospects of the team after a brilliant 2024 season under new coach Joe Schmidt.
Schmidt came into the role in January and instantly had more wins than the 2023 campaign after his first three games.
It wasn't all smooth sailing, with a record-breaking defeat to Argentina rocking the team's confidence.
However, a positive Spring Tour has eroded any thoughts of the Wallabies not being competitive when the British and Irish Lions come Down Under in 2025 as Schmidt has issued with a fresh wave of talent.
Joe Schmidt was unapologetic about growing the player pool in Australia, selecting 47 different players in his 13 Tests as coach.
A lot was made of Schmidt's 19 debutants in 2024 but it was only a slight uptick from the total amount of players used in last year's season (41 v 47 players).
A deeper dive into the figures reflects a greater continuity around his selections than the numbers show on the surface level.
There were 11 players that reached double-digit Tests in 2024, including Andrew Kellaway, Allan Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini who played every Test.
Tom Wright and Tate McDermott were featured in all Tests bar one, with McDermott used 10 times off the bench.
Whilst the starting side had countless changes, Schmidt's finishing squad often stayed consistent, with the likes of Ben Donaldson (nine), Langi Gleeson (nine), Isaac Kailea (eight) and Brandon Paenga-Amosa (six) used heavily.
Out of the 19 who pulled on the gold jersey for the first time, Jeremy Williams (ten) was the most consistent selection alongside Kailea, Max Jorgensen (seven) and Josh Nasser (six).
There were five players to feature just once, with Tane Edmed the latest of the fresh faces.
All up, 21 players played in over half the games in 2024, with only a select group managing to achieve this feat in both 2023 and 2024, including Valetini, Kellaway, McDermott and James Slipper.
It took some time but the Wallabies have been injected with the Schmidt DNA as they dazzled with their fearless, through-the-ball-around-from-anywhere style attack.
According to Opta Analyst, the Wallabies carried 18 more times per match than in 2023 and executed their rucks at the highest success rate in the 2020s.
This was also at a faster rate, with 64% of rucks less than three seconds, a four per cent increase.
There were considerably less offloads but the error rate dropped to a passing error once every 142 passes this year, double last year's effort (67 passes).
In their first six games of the year, the side conceded seven points per game less than last year, including two games holding the opposition under 20 points.
They also held three of the four Grand Slam opposition under 30 points, including restricting Ireland to 22 points.
On top of this, there were four games where the Wallabies record over 35 points, the first time this was achieved since 2019.
The Wallabies focus is solely on the British and Irish Lions tour but 2025 is a big year for the program.
Reports of a warm-up game against Fiji before the tour have been floated by RA CEO Phil Waugh, a chance to completely bury the World Cup demons of 2023.
The competitiveness of the Wallabies on the Grand Slam tour will leave then optimistic of causing a major upset in July.
After this, a trip to South Africa awaits for a major test against the Springboks before the Bledisloe Cup series.
Before all this happens, the future of Joe Schmidt will have been decided.
Schmidt is only contracted until the Lions tour, with anyone saying they have a genuine insight on whether he stays or goes likely bluffing.
It'll all come down to Schmidt's family situation and whether a home World Cup appeals to the former Irish coach.
On top of this, there's a host of players uncontracted who will be vital to re-sign for the 2027 event.
What is guaranteed is 2025 will be anything but boring for Wallabies fans as all eyes turn to Australia.
