Shaun Wane and England must find way to avoid end-of-cycle trap after losing Ashes
In cricket, an Ashes defeat sparks a period of soul-searching.
The scrutiny on coaches and captains that follows a defeat to England's fiercest rivals can be unforgiving.
Players, too, are defined by how they perform in the heat of an Ashes battle.
When it unravels completely, the fallout can be hard to survive.
England's rugby league team have not quite plumbed the depths of recent cricket tours of Australia but after seeing the series slip away in Liverpool, the spectre of a dreaded whitewash looms large.
Should the final Test at Headingley go the same way as the first two, the inquest will begin in earnest.
Shaun Wane's side ticked a lot of boxes on Saturday, yet the outcome was depressingly familiar – another Australian victory.
This was a performance far removed from the flat showing at Wembley, one mirrored by the atmosphere on the terraces.
England players and fans came together to deliver the "proper Test match" that Wane demanded in the build-up – and Australia still came out on top.
Having absorbed everything the hosts threw at them in the first half, the Kangaroos hit them with a quick one-two after the interval to shatter the dream of a series-levelling win.
Those tries from Cameron Munster and Hudson Young triggered memories of past heartbreaks, puncturing the enthusiasm and energy that had been building since kick-off.
In the space of five minutes, any hope of a Headingley decider had been extinguished.
A 14th straight series win dating back to 1973 serves as a painful reminder of the mental edge Australia hold over England.
Beyond the psychological advantage, the Kangaroos are simply superior in every department.
Former England forward Jon Wilkin said it best: "Just for some context, 11 times the number of people participate in rugby league in Australia.
"The salary cap is four to five times bigger than the sport in this country, yet we approached the series with hope that England could do something.
"It's the number one sport in Australia. The commercial side of the game is 10 times more successful than it is in this country.
"I think it's an embarrassment if Australia don't beat us 3-0. I think they should be embarrassed.
"If they don't come here and whack us three times, I think it's embarrassing on them. I think it reflects worse on them than it does on us."
Australia duly made it 2-0 in the wake of Wilkin's comments and are short odds to finish the job in Leeds next weekend.
On the evidence of Saturday's 14-4 victory, the Kangaroos have no intention of leaving these shores red-faced.
The tourists are on the brink of repeating the whitewash of 2003, only this time they have not been pushed in the same way.
Whereas Great Britain took a lead into the closing stages of every Test in the previous Ashes, England have not been ahead once in this series.
Not only that, they have scored just one try – Daryl Clark's consolation barge-over at Wembley.
The home team had only two Harry Smith penalties to show for their efforts on their return to the north.
For all their physicality and endeavour, England lacked the imagination to unlock Australia's peerless rearguard.
The Kangaroos' attack misfired in a repeat of the opener but they produced a defensive masterclass.
Every time England threatened, the door was slammed shut.
For Tom Johnstone and Dom Young, what looked like daylight quickly disappeared behind a wall of green and gold.
Morgan Knowles spurned England's best chance after Reece Walsh failed to gather a grubber kick from George Williams, the full-back still doing enough to prevent a try.
That has been the tale of the Ashes so far – Australia's desperation trumping the hosts' ingenuity.
And in each Test, England have asked questions for only 40 minutes.
The Kangaroos, as they so often do, won the half that mattered.
Munster took advantage of hesitant defending by Williams to score the opening try before Hudson Young benefited from smart aerial work by Kotoni Staggs from Nathan Cleary's towering kick.
From there, there was only ever going to be one winner despite Walsh's reckless challenge on Dom Young gifting England 10 minutes against 12 men late on.
The hosts simply ran out of ideas – a failing that has become the focus of the fiercest fan criticism and one that ramps up the pressure on Wane.
England's tactics at Everton were largely predictable, with their repeated attempts to probe Australia's watertight edge defence particularly puzzling, and Wane's selection calls are open to scrutiny.
After all, the home side have scored a solitary try in two matches with Man of Steel Jake Connor sat at home.
Mikey Lewis, meanwhile, was limited to just 12 minutes at hooker, long after the game was crying out for his spark.
It could be argued that Australia would have found a way in any event but Wane has given frustrated supporters sticks to beat him with – loyalty to certain individuals among the biggest.
And yet his players are clearly playing for him, as evidenced by the ferocious aggression displayed early on at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
England were hugely committed throughout – a little too much for pedantic Australian referee Grant Atkins who set the tone for a poor performance by sin-binning Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Dom Young just two minutes in following a minor scuffle.
Even with moments of controversy, the Kangaroos were deserved winners.
Australia always had the look of awkward opponents 12 months out from a World Cup.
Now, after losing the series with a game to spare, England are in damage limitation mode.
The sold-out third Test carries importance for coaches and players alike.
A competitive 2-1 scoreline would be a small but crucial consolation – enough to turn a sharp inquest into a manageable post-mortem.
A whitewash, by contrast, would reignite familiar questions about an Ashes defeat marking the end of a cycle.
England: Brimson, Young, Farnworth, Wardle, Johnstone, Williams, Smith, McMeeken, Litten, Lees, Pearce-Paul, Watkins, Knowles. Substitutes: Lewis, Walmsley, Smithies, Oledzki.
Goals: Smith 2/2.
Australia: Walsh, Nawaqanitawase, Staggs, Shibasaki, Addo-Carr, Munster, Cleary, Collins, Grant, Fa'asuamaleaui, Crichton, Young, Carrigan. Substitutes: Dearden, Smith, Cotter, Koloamatangi.
Tries: Munster (48), Young (53).
Goals: Cleary 3/4.
Referee: Grant Atkins (Australia).