The sooner as we begin churning out Academy prospects the better. We've got a solid base in there now and its beginning to bear fruit again.
We had two issues:
1. Josh, Lol et al all retired at once and left a bit of a void which got filled by academy and we nearly went down. They all got exceptional exposure and performed incredibly well, but it was very generational and they've all moved on over the last 18 months except Launch. The lack of cash impacted the academy at this point too.
2. Moving to Cov disrupted the academy, that had already been hit by the cashflow problem and so we dont have growth from within. It won't solve all of our problems, but where you have the odd bloke getting exposure, keeps them engaged for longer and they commit to ways of playing as they see the results.
Once we get it settled and running through with Maso and Evs, the bulk of the squad should be Wasps own and then you supplement where you have gaps with signings. I'd back those two to recognise talent and when it is ready.
I agree with Rory 87, this could be us on the cusp of cracking it for the long term. When you get people committed and staying, its remarkable how much less you can pay....