Bec Rippon remembers it as if it were yesterday, sitting in the stands of the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre as a young water polo wannabe, watching the game that changed her life.
Bronte Halligan recalls it too, a funny photo of the excited four-year-old dreamer standing outside the Olympic opening ceremony still there as her reminder of what she always wanted to achieve.
And now their chance to make their own history, achieve their own legacy, has finally arrived in Paris.
Twenty-four years since Australia's Stingers won that most celebrated match in their history, striking gold at Sydney 2000 with Yvette Higgins netting an immortal winner against the mighty USA with just 1.3 seconds on the clock, they are back in a potentially sport-changing Olympic final.
Rippon, who says that game still inspires her as Stingers' coach, and Halligan, one of the driving forces in the unbeaten class of 2024, believe if they can oust Spain in Saturday's gold-medal final at La Defense Arena, it can transform their sport
"I believe this is a big moment in Australia," said Rippon, now 45, who went on to win bronze as a player in the Beijing squad in 2008 and last year became the Stingers' first female coach.
"It feels significant to be back up there, showing water polo is still strong and still important.
"Even from back home, there's people messaging me, saying there's kids signing up, left, right and centre to play.
"It's a popular sport, a great sport, a summer sport in Australia -- what more could you want?
"So this is an opportunity now for this group now to inspire the next generation."
Her team feels it too. They've all grown up on tales of 2000 and all that. Even now, the memory is driving them.
"We've still got representatives of that golden girl era in our coaching staff and management (including assistant Taryn Woods and team manager Bronwyn Mayer) who played in that final and we just love living with them around," said Abby Andrews, whose four-goal, third-period salvo helped down USA in the semis.
"We really do look up to them and we've heard it all about 2000, watched that game so many times, watched the last shot maybe a million times.
"It is honestly a huge part of the Stingers' legacy - and we just want to live up to it and make our own history now."
Rippon has seen the near-misses and disappointments down the years since 2000, but this is a golden opportunity for her side to now succeed where perhaps more-vaunted Australian teams in other sports have flopped.
"We've tried to turn it around and believe anything's possible. We've watched some of the top teams, including some of the Australian teams, go down in games that they should win, and we just talk about getting the job done. We're really trying to keep it simple."
As for that young dreamer Halligan, daughter of Kiwi NRL legend Daryl, she's ready for the match of her life.
"That image has gone around the block once or twice now, of the little four-year old Bronte at the Olympic Park," she smiled.
"I mean, it's been my dream for so long to be here - I'm always dreaming."
