Waratahs coach Dan McKellar believes he has the talent at Daceyville to nail down the club's flyhalf of the future.
The question remains, who will take up the mantle?
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One-Test Wallaby Tane Edmed was McKellar's first preference in the opening month before ex-Red Lawson Creighton replaced him, starting the next eight games.
Now, McKellar has opted to blood 21-year-old Jack Bowen for just his second Super Rugby Pacific start in New South Wales' must-win clash with the reigning champion Blues in Auckland.
The former Australia U20 playmaker earns his start after a strong performance off the bench during last week's win over the Western Force and links up long-time club halves partner Teddy Wilson, who replaces Jake Gordon after the captain picked up a minor hamstring strain.
"Jack's been very good over a long period of time," McKellar told reporters.
"We've given him small tastes here and there. He's trained very well and he's transferred how he's trained into probably his biggest contribution in a game on Saturday in Perth.
"I'm really pleased with how 'Bowy' performed there, and he gets a chance this week in a big game....We want to expose him when we feel that he's ready and he's right, and he's got good training and game performances on board, and he showed that last week."
New South Wales have trialled several young flyhalves since Bernard Foley's departure in 2019.
Will Harrison and Ben Donaldson both wore the sky blue #10 through the 2020s while Edmed has swung in and out of favour despite reaching the 50-cap milestone earlier this season.
Currently, Bowen, Edmed and Creighton are locked in a three-way battle while Australia U20s star Joey Fowler has also spent time with the main Waratahs squad during pre-season this season.
McKellar has a strong track record mentoring young flyhalves - after all, the former ACT boss threw his faith behind Noah Lolesio at an early age with strong results - and firmly believes the long-term answer already lays with NSW's ranks.
"We're comfortable with the tens (in NSW)," he reinforced.
"Obviously, we're losing some players in other positions where we need to recruit and retain.
"I think the really important piece here for us moving forward is our pathways and our academy, making sure that we maintain the good young players that we want to keep and want to maintain so that when they come in here they know what's expected of them on field and off field."
"I think if you look at the teams at the top of the table, they've had consistency," McKellar added.
"You look at the best team currently in Australia, and that's the Brumbies, the consistency that they've had there in key positions across a number of years. That cohesion theory that Benny Darwin talks about is 100 per cent right.
"Here we're in our first season as a group and trying to work out what's our best fit and who's the best fit for not only 10, but a number of different positions."
