Of all the chaos Eddie Jones unleashed on Australian rugby, the selection of Carter Gordon in his first Wallabies squad and later for Rugby World Cup 2027 wasn't among it.
How Jones managed the then-22-year-old thereafter, however? Well, you probably know the story.
So when Gordon left the game some nine months later, having seen his first Super Rugby club, Melbourne Rebels, wound up amid crippling financial debts and dire mismanagement, no-one could begrudge the youngster from seeking a fresh start.
That it came with perennial NRL battlers Gold Coast Titans wasn't exactly ideal from an Australian rugby perspective, though a desire to return home to Queensland -- and to put some distance between himself and a turbulent on- and off-field period -- came as no great surprise.
Fast forward 12 months and not only is Gordon back in the 15-player game, but also soon to be reacquainted with some of the same Wallabies teammates that suffered the same World Cup indignity under Jones in 2023.
The fact he is immediately eligible to face Jones' Japan on Saturday week is a weird piece of rugby coincidence, but a sign too of just how much has changed for the coach, the player -- and Australian rugby over the past two years.
While a return to Test rugby in Tokyo feels more unlikely than likely, it seems inevitable that Gordon will pull on the gold jersey at some stage in November, whether he is forced to wait until Australia's final tour game -- as was the case for Tane Edmed, the fly-half he will support in Europe, last year -- remains to be seen.
But with Tom Lynagh left at home, and James O'Connor, for now, settling into life at Leicester, it's probable that Gordon sees at least some game time across the Wallabies' five closing assignments of 2025.
But the key takeaway is that each of Rugby Australia, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and his heir apparent Les Kiss have seen it right to bring Gordon "home" to rugby, such is the overriding uncertainty around the No. 10 jersey two years out from the World Cup.
And, as a result, the Wallabies must consider adding another responsibility to prized code-hopper Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's extensive brief - goal-kicking.
Those who remember Gordon's goal-kicking struggles will also recall how Jones was forced to select Ben Donaldson at fullback during the World Cup as a means to cover the fly-half's wayward right boot.
It's not that Gordon can't kick -- he slotted a couple of beautiful sideline conversions against the All Blacks in Dunedin in 2024 -- but that he is simply not consistent enough, and memories of him striking the post in Super Rugby from near unmissable positions are hard to shake.
And it's not like the now-24-year-old has had time to dedicate himself to improving that facet of his game during his Titans stint because of a cerebrospinal fluid leak, a setback that at one point left him bedridden for two weeks, forced to lie on his back for anything but a trip to the toilet.
In the end, it was an achievement for Gordon to make his NRL debut at all, which came in the Titans' final-round defeat of Wests Tigers.
In the meantime, Suaalii has established himself as Australian rugby's golden boy and won rave reviews for his code switch since starring on debut at Twickenham last year.
But he hasn't yet taken a shot at goal, either at Super Rugby Pacific or Test level.
If Gordon is seen as the answer to the Wallabies' fly-half mire, then it's time for Suaalii to reprise the role he filled at various stages for Sydney Roosters in the NRL.
During the 2024 NRL season while the Roosters regular goal-kicker Sam Walker was injured, Suaalii kicked 18 goals from 25 attempts for a success rate of 72%. That is not where it needs to be -- few of those shots will have been penalty goals, too -- but it is certainly something to work with.
And it does shade Gordon's 2024 Super Rugby Pacific return of 69.8%.
Whatever the case, if Gordon is seen as the man most likely to wear the No. 10 jersey when the Wallabies open Rugby World Cup 2027 at Perth's Optus Stadium, then either a rapid improvement in his goal-kicking is necessary or an alternate solution must be found.
Suaalii has handled everything that has been thrown at his feet thus far - and the Wallabies might need to make one more vital request of him yet.