32, 423. 40. 13.
Those three numbers sum up the crucial juncture the Matildas find themselves in as 2024 draws to a close, without a permanent coach and with the news that Sam Kerr is still months away from returning from injury.
For the Matildas to average attendances of 32,423 fans across four international friendlies within a week is an almighty rebuttal to the argument that 'Matildas Mayhem' has subsided, as much as other codes wish to drum up that argument.
In fact, the 129,690 fans who turned up in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Geelong hints the Matildas are still immune from form hindering interest; the movement they created in 2023 still well and truly alive as they tour Australia with continued popularity.
Mary Fowler didn't feature in the recent friendlies. Getty
The turnout is more remarkable considering the side was missing superstars Kerr, Mary Fowler, Cortnee Vine and Katrina Gorry and then sent the rest of their European stars home after the two games in Queensland, with a rotation of fringe players getting a chance in 3-1 and 6-0 wins over Chinese Taipei.
I have recently released a new Australian football book – The Goals That Changed Australia, a young adult non-fiction narrative – where part of the story, which many of the side's new fans wouldn't know about, recalls the time not that long ago when the Tillies played in front of not much more than family and friends.
So those figures for a bunch of friendlies (two in mid-week), off the back of their streak of 16 sold out home games, continue to boggle the mind and can't be taken for granted.
The Tillies' new cohort of fans also don't know, or haven't lived through, the tough times. Lucky them! Will the next chapter be a classic Australian football 'one step forward, two steps back' or can the Matildas build towards replicating some of the 2023 buzz when they host the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup?
Writing that book, which traverses the riveting but complex roller coaster between John Aloisi's penalty against Uruguay in 2005 and Vine's winning goal against France in 2023 and presenting it to a new generation of fans was also a stark reminder of what happens when the sport rests on its laurels.
Australia qualified for the FIFA World Cup after 32 years. Socceroos
Australian football has to move forward and plan for life beyond our Golden Generation to keep the crowds and bandwagon bursting.
That is why the numbers 40, and 13, are arguably more important than 32,423.
40 is the number of caps that were on the field when the full-time whistle went in Geelong on Saturday night, shared between nine players at an average of four caps per player (outside of Emily van Egmond and Alex Chidiac).
13 is the number of months from the Matildas' next assignment, the SheBelieves Cup in February, and the Asian Cup on home soil – a tournament the Matildas must aim to win, and to do that, will need a coach who has used that period to settle on a balance between the older and younger generations.
Football Australia might have mistimed the transition from Tony Gustavsson to a new Matildas coach but if there is a blessing in disguise as it searches for his replacement, it is that the wisest mind in the land was able to rehabilitate the group after the shock of the Olympics performance in Paris and set the pathway for the new coach towards the Asian Cup.
Tom Sermanni's interim stint as Matildas boss might read three wins, one draw and two losses, but his impact, and the importance of this week of friendlies, goes far beyond the results and performances against Brazil and Chinese Taipei.
Matildas interim Head Coach, Tom Sermanni. Getty
"When I (joined) the team in Switzerland for the first couple of team meetings, I thought I was turning up at a funeral, if I'm being honest," he said.
"And what I've seen now is that I think the team has come back to life again. There's a bit more noise and a bit more enthusiasm around the team.
"For me that that's really important, and hopefully that'll continue."
Sermanni, of course, is the man who blooded the Golden Generation, unleashing the likes of Kerr, Caitlin Foord and van Egmond and many others when they were still teens.
History might not repeat with a new Golden Generation, but let's hope it might with Sermanni having opened the door for a new wave of talent.
And when he returns to his day job, head of women's Football at Western Sydney Wanderers, he'll also hope to have shown the importance of dialogue between Matildas HQ and club-land, where so many of the future stars are emerging.
One of the criticisms of the Gustavsson era was his lack of faith in players outside of his tried and tested core, and when he did blood youngsters, he threw them to the wolves.
Over the last week, Sermanni was able to calculatingly unleash a host of new names, or re-integrate fringe players, all while balancing it with experienced heads alongside them.
The Clare Polkinghorne farewell tour wasn't just an indulgence; it allowed her to spend time alongside Natasha Prior (26) and Winonah Heatley (23) before passing the baton.
Clare Polkinghorne farewelled fans before the Matildas friendly against Brazil. Getty
Veterans van Egmond and Tameka Yallop were superb, while also ushering in Leah Davidson (23), Daniela Galic (18), Sharn Freier (23) and Laura Hughes (23). Freier, in particular, caught the eye.
Six players from the local A-League Women started in Geelong, and as many were on the park at full-time. There were six debuts handed out, while familiar faces Emily Gielnik, Remy Siemsen, and Chloe Logarzo were welcomed back.
"I think automatically now, if I'm sitting down and reassessing at the end of the year, and if I'm looking towards the SheBelieves Cup, there's much more competition for those 23 spots in the squad than I think there was a few months ago," Sermanni assessed.
There isn't a team on the planet that doesn't benefit from depth and competition for places, especially when the stars of a squad start to trickle into the 30-year age bracket.
2024 was a reality check for the Matildas but it has ended with a few green shoots sprouting thanks to Sermanni's subtle influence.
There's 13 months now to get those fresh faces up to speed, find an answer to the Matildas' attacking balance and a best position for Fowler, to add to those 40 caps, and to build a squad that is ready to handle the expectations for the Asian Cup and beyond.
But who will be in charge and will they be in place by February? That is the pivotal question before the next chapter is written.
David Weiner is the author of The Goals That Changed Australia, published by Fairplay Publishing, available online or in stores.