Cast your mind back to the week before last year's Six Nations opener against Ireland and many of the headlines were dedicated to the Welsh midfield.
When the text from a source came early in the week that George North was set to start at 13 once again, it felt as though Wales were persevering with an experiment out of sheer necessity.
Perhaps they were, but come the end of the tournament, North's place in the jersey felt secure after a revelatory campaign in the position.
Of course, we haven't seen him in a red shirt since - casting further doubt on Wayne Pivac's midfield.
In truth, this week's Six Nations squad selection provided few answers to solving it.
In the recent past, Wales have always had centre partnerships nailed down, even if the depth was lacking once you scratched away at the surface.
First, it was Jamie Roberts and Tom Shanklin, then Roberts and Jonathan Davies. Hadleigh Parkes and Davies followed, while Scott Williams has always been there to fill in the gaps.
Up until Parkes' departure from Welsh rugby in 2020, one of Roberts, Davies, Williams or Parkes had been present for over 90% of Wales' Tests.
However, since Parkes left for Japan, the situation has changed somewhat.
There's relative depth now, but you wouldn't put your mortgage on knowing who the first-choice centres are anymore.
The likes of Nick Tompkins, Willis Halaholo, Owen Watkin, Johnny Williams and Ben Thomas have all featured in midfield, while in the autumn, Josh Adams followed North as a winger moving infield.
And still, we're not really any closer to a definitive answer.
That's not necessarily a horrendous thing. Test rugby is often less about getting the best possible team on paper out on the park and more about dealing with the hands you've been dealt.
There's no doubt that, this Six Nations particularly, the dealer hasn't been kind to Pivac.
But, when it comes to midfield, we know the score by now. And Tuesday's announcement doesn't really change anything.
Davies isn't the force he once was because of injuries. Pivac sees him as a 12 going forward, not a 13.
However, in the autumn, when push came to shove, it was Davies, not Tompkins, who was moved into the wider channel for the visit of the All Blacks.
That's perhaps the issue for all of Wales' midfield choices. Named in the squad on Tuesday were Davies, Tompkins, Halaholo and Watkin.
All of them can play 13 if required, but it's no secret that inside centre is where each of them are best served.
As such, outside centre without North remains a conundrum. Will Adams get moved there? You'd assume not, unless Pivac intends to start one of Alex Cuthbert or Johnny McNicholl on the wing in Dublin.
Both are capable, but Ireland away probably isn't the game to start trying new things.
So Adams as a midfielder could be something we don't see much of. Were we to, it could be the game-changing development needed to push Wales' centre options forward.
Pick your Wales team now. Just start typing the name of the player you want to select
In that regard, it's a shame that Owen Lane missed out on selection - given he too is capable of moving into midfield.
Maybe one of the four centres named will nail down the 12 jersey in the coming weeks. Halaholo in particular is short of Test minutes but looks capable of offering a ball-playing element that could get Stephen Jones' backline firing.
Even in brief glimpses against Australia in November, the way he fixed defenders and let the ball do the work was key to Wales making easy metres and getting their strike-runners into play.
It's feasible one of the other options could nail it down.
Watkin will be hungry after missing out on selection in the past two squads, while Davies and Tompkins have shown what they're capable of in the 12 jersey.
In an ideal world, the 13 jersey would be filled too by the end of March.
That might be a little too much to ask.
Bringing Scott Williams back into the fold might certainly have moved you a little closer to solving one, if not both, of those issues.
Come 2023, Pivac should have a solid roster of inside centres ready for the World Cup. Whether he truly has the same one position further out remains to be seen.
Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.
