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In contemporary Australian sport, a woman's work is truly never done.
Throughout the summer the Australian cricket team did a womanful job restoring the game's reputation after it was shattered by their male counterparts' ball tampering lunacy.
In so doing the Australians did not merely provide the good news story the sport desperately needed by playing cricket well within both the spirit and the letter of the law.
More importantly, the sometimes breathtaking skill displayed during the internationals series and WBBL provided a jolting reminder of how far now (relatively) well-paid athletes had progressed and, in turn, helped set a high standard for their sport generally.
At the French Open, Ashleigh Barty has strained her every sinew scurrying across the red clay and, in so doing, proven a thesis utterly rejected by her countrymen Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic — trying hard is cool.
Not since Lleyton Hewitt donated several internal organs in the pursuit of major singles trophies and the Davis Cup has an Australian chased a fluffy yellow ball with the determination of Barty.
Incidentally, the Queenslander has done so without the histrionics — call them "mantrums" — that punctuated Hewitt's career.
Now it is the Matildas' turn to step up and do far more for their sport than their sport has done for them at the Women's World Cup in France, beginning with their Group C match against Italy on Sunday night (AEST).
To say Australian football needs the Matildas to perform well at this World Cup is a bit like saying the ALP needs Anthony Albanese to reconnect the Opposition with its traditional base.
If this was not already glaringly obvious during an A-League season when crowds and viewing audiences again declined, the recent apology by FFA director Heather Reid for her damaging comments about sacked Matildas' coach Alen Stajcic was yet another reminder of the game's renowned ability to score administrative own goals.
Reid's unreserved apology for suggesting people "would be shocked" if they knew the reasons for Stajcic's sacking — which in turn creates the supposition Stajcic should be coaching the Matildas in France — might have caused unwanted distraction ahead of the World Cup.
Although Stajcic's well-respected replacement, Ante Milicic, made it clear in an interview with the ABC's national sport editor David Mark that, at least in his mind, the case is well and truly closed.
"You know, I'm not interested in 'she did that' or 'he said that'," Milicic said.
"I don't care."
Milicic does care about getting the best from a talented and now vastly experienced squad considered by some pundits the first Australian team to enter a football World Cup with a realistic chance of lifting the trophy.
Assuming the sixth-ranked Matildas escape a group that includes Italy, Brazil and Jamaica, a place in the last eight would be solid pass mark and a semi-finals berth a distinction — and from there, as observers of tournament football know, anything is possible.
As much as the Matildas have captured attention and drawn big crowds to matches in Australia, a prominent showing in France would entrench their status as one Australia's leading teams of either gender at a time when competition for female participants and first-choice athletes is red hot.
This is best demonstrated by the introduction of the AFLW, which was accelerated specifically to compete with football in the "girls' market" — something it has done with great success in the southern states due partly to its cosy media relationships and the ability to offer cheaper entry-level and junior programs.
While the W-League develops slowly due partly to its relatively poor funding and promotion, the Matildas remain the shopfront for women's football and a month of international prominence will give them a valuable chance to tell their inspirational tales and expose their personalities.
Yes, there is superstar captain Sam Kerr. But there is also the split-generation strikers Lisa De Vanna (34 years of age) and Mary Fowler (16), who is making her World Cup debut.
And from the realms of the brave-not-broken, there is winger Hayley Raso, who thought she might never walk again after suffering a broken back.
Adding some pressure to the Matildas' performance is Australia's bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup, an event being optimistically sought with $5 million in government funding, somewhat less than the $47 million infamously squandered on the 2022 World Cup bid that got just one luxury-priced vote.
Although regardless of how far the Matildas progress, insiders are pessimistic about Australia's chances of beating eight rival bidders. Not least because FIFA is no more transparent than during Australia's last bid despite the exposure of its corrupt process and the departure of the Machiavellian president Sepp Blatter, whose successor Gianni Infantino was re-elected unopposed this week.
As ever the relative prize money for the men's and women's World Cups is contentious, with the 24 female teams in France to share $US30 million compared with the $US400 million split by the 32 male teams in Russia last year.
For the Matildas, particularly, this means they could continue the recent trend by doing far more for the game in Australia than their male counterparts in return for much lower wages.
In July it will be the netballers turn to shine on an international stage at their World Cup in England and the squad for the Women's Ashes to be played later the same month was named this week.
More responsibility and far less cash. But Australia's fuss-free sportswomen are making a habit of getting it done.