They say the body replaces its cells every 10 years, and the Socceroos haven't won a match at a World Cup in 12.
But there are those special neurons that aren't replaced, and deep inside the national psyche, they have been flickering and sparking every four years since 2010, sending a faint echo of what it's like to taste victory at a World Cup rippling through the Socceroos faithful.
On Saturday night, those ripples turned into a crashing, joyous wave, as Australia beat Tunisia 1-0 in Qatar — and here's how the internet reacted.
Doubt over the starting XI was rife pre-match, with just one change made by Graham Arnold after the loss to France.
And the sense that the country was watching on, at prime time, was palpable.
The crowd was a sea of partisan Tunisians, roaring either in support of their team, or in total disgust at the Socceroos away strip —a kit that drew similar howls from the posters online.
Just as they had against Denmark, Tunisia started the match bristling with physicality, barging and harrying and jostling their way into the fray, as the Aussies began whipping in crosses.
Cross after cross, mostly hit with relative freedom to aim, but none finding a target.
Then, one cross was whipped off Craig Goodwin's boot, and deflected off a Tunisian defender, the least likely of assists, until Mitchell Duke flexed and contorted his neck muscles with all the precision and dexterity of a surgeon, with his head the scalpel.
The ball nestled in the far corner, and Australia had, yet again, opened the scoring in Qatar.
Brimming with joy as they were, the Socceroos faithful remembered how quickly and brutally France had riposted after conceding in the first match, and how swiftly that joy punctured.
The anxiety that comes with a narrow lead set in immediately, and there were concerns the team would sit back with just 22 minutes gone.
Man mountain Harry Souttar made the first of what would end up many, many colossal blocks.
Australia saw out the half, and in truth, were caught only a few times by Tunisia on the counter.
A deserved half-time lead, a confident sense of control over the contest and … was that a sense of pride?
Still, that pride quickly curdled into fear, namely of that second 45 minutes of regulation time, plus the veritable eternity of stoppage time that has become a hallmark of the Qatar World Cup.
Tunisia started the second half with renewed vigour, the hounds of defeat snapping at their heels, and the Socceroos receded slightly toward their own goal.
Calls for a substitute that might allow Australia to regain some attacking momentum began to sound, most of them naming Ajdin Hrustic specifically, calls Graham Arnold seemed to heed.
Harry Souttar, who has basically played two games of elite football in the last year, was a brick wall.
Seen throwing himself in front of shots, racing like some possessed iron golem after Tunisian attackers to thwart counter-attacks, the Stoke City defender was absolutely supreme.
Mathew Leckie had a chance he was centimetres away from converting, but the demeanour of the second half was set; it was looking like this one-goal lead was going to be all the Socceroos would have to grip clammily to until the final whistle.
As the minutes ticked on, and the Tunisians kicked on, each passing moment was pure agony for the Socceroos faithful.
Finally, with a very conservative six minutes of stoppage time elapsed, the final whistle sounded, and the nation rejoiced.
Federation Square in Melbourne was again a scene of total pandemonium.
Australian sports stars cheered along with all of us.
Australia remains alive in this World Cup.
Australia has won at this World Cup.
Those dozen years in the wilderness are over.
