Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt believes Australian rugby is heading in the right direction after a demanding British & Irish Lions Tour.
While the tourists wrapped up the series with a match to spare - meaning there was only pride to play for Australia in Sydney - the stats tell their own story.
Across three closely fought games, Australia only scored one less point than Andy Farrell's Lions. And they were ahead for 159 of the 240 Test minutes played.
Schmidt was also proud of how his team coped with the torrential rain that made this test match an attritional battle, won 22-12 by the home team.
And he revealed his coaching staff had even discussed a plan for a potential rain delay when they looked at the forecast pre-match - lightning forcing players off the pitch for 40 minutes early in the second half.
"That's the longest test match I've ever been involved with but we got there in the end," he said.
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"I felt we grew through the series. We lost the first half of the first Test but after that I felt we were right in every match.
"After the feeling of deep disappointment they had after losing the series in Melbourne I couldn't be prouder of how this team responded here.
"We've lost some talismanic players this week and that made it tougher too. I'm not great at looking back at having regrets. Looking forward I think there is a lot to be excited about."
Schmidt will leave his role with the Wallabies at the end of the Rugby Championship with Les Kiss taking charge of their 2027 Rugby World Cup campaign, which they will host.
And Lions coach Andy Farrell - who will now return to his Ireland head coach role - is under no illusions Australia will be a team to watch.
"I think special things are going to happen for this side over the next 18 months and by the time the World Cup rolls around they'll be a force to be reckoned with again," he said.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson cut a crestfallen figure one week ahead at the MCG, as Hugo Keenan's late, late try snatched the match and the series from under his nose.
Anyone who dismissed this match as a dead rubber only had to see his delight post-match to realise how much it meant to claim the Lions scalp.
"I’m just so proud of the team,” he said. “We were hurting but we came out punching in front of 83,000 people.
"I’ve spoken before about what it means to wear this jersey. You don’t come out here and just go through the motions. We’ve worn that jersey with pride and got the win.
"For us, it’s a great bit of momentum heading into the Rugby Championship. We’re off to South Africa in two weeks, which is going to be a heck of a challenge, so it’s great to get that boost before going over there."
