In the end the clouds looked more thrilling than the storm they preceded, the expectation of the thing far outweighing the thing itself when it actually arrived.

Perhaps the cynical in the SCG outer, watching a bit but not a whole lot of rain fall on sponsor-clad Big Covers, may have considered that a metaphor for these Ashes as a whole.

There was a big storm somewhere though. Just not here, at the SCG on day one of a fifth Test in which a sense of fatigue has certainly now set in. If not for the England side, still determined in its face-saving exercise, then certainly for the Australians.

The warning signs were there in the performance in Melbourne and then confirmed by the coach of all people in the aftermath.

Andrew McDonald told the media after the MCG defeat that the Ashes had ended as a contest in Adelaide, when a 3-0 series win was confirmed. These remaining games were purely for World Test Championship points, he said, seemingly in attempt to soften the blow of a bad Boxing Day loss.

But this messaging is a remarkable departure from the usual rhetoric that surrounds any home Ashes series, when talk of whitewashes and a desire for a visceral and total domination ensures a collective focus.

Australia's two 5-0 series results this century have come in the immediate aftermath of painful defeats away from home and were viewed as a spiritual cleansing of the national summer game.

Simply beating England here has never been enough to sate the appetite of Australian cricketers or their supporters. There has to come with it a tinge of humiliation to keep the natural order in place.

This time around, though, there has been none of that. The coach told the world these two games don't really matter a whole lot, and the captain, who put his body through tremendous strain to front up and perform in one crucial Test, swiftly put himself back on ice with a view towards the T20 World Cup.

Australia's bowlers didn't take a wicket after lunch on day one. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)

This isn't a criticism so much as it is a recognition that times have changed, and so has the Australian cricket team.

Perhaps the shift in mentality is a subliminal recognition that this aging group no longer has the staying power required to keep its foot down for a full five Tests.

There was a laser-focus around the Australians to begin this summer, a quiet resolve that manifested in enough brilliant cricket to wrap up an Ashes series win in 11 days. But such intent from the jump has clearly taken a toll on the group as the summer has drawn on.

The bowling attack Australia has been left with in Sydney is a poor imitation of its preferred group, made up of dependable seamers who hover at around 130kph, all-rounders who hover at around 130kph and Mitchell Starc. And no spinner at all.