NEWPORT Gwent Dragons head coach Darren Edwards has pledged not to shy away from tough calls as 17 of his charges play for new contracts.

The Dragons have already started their own recruitment drive and are now in the midst of a key period in terms of those they wish to retain.

A number of fringe players will head out of Rodney Parade but several key members of the 27-man squad for Friday’s clash with the Ospreys are also entering the final months of their Dragons deals, including the likes of Jason Tovey, Wayne Evans and Gavin Thomas.

Toby Faletau and Lloyd Burns penned new contracts on their return from the World Cup while the region are hopeful of securing the future of international wing Aled Brew.

But, with the Dragons sitting 11th in the RaboDirect Pro12 table and already near certs to miss out on next season’s Heineken Cup, Edwards acknowledges that the coaching staff face some tough calls when it comes to offering other new deals.

"We are going to go through a pretty unpleasant time over the latter part of the season when we have got boys coming out of contract," said Edwards.

"You have to make some decisions on whether players who you have had for some time, and who have been good players for you, will take you to that next level.

"Those are the tough decisions that we have to make here but they are hard calls that we need to make if we are to drive this region on.

"It is a shame to be losing Luke Charteris but we are retaining our other international assets. I have assembled a good coaching team and all the building blocks are in place.

"There is a real ambition here and I don’t want us to fall into the same cracks as we have in the past and be moaning about what we haven’t got.

"I firmly believe that by next pre-season we will have a good squad of players, proper facilities and a real energy here."

The Dragons could benefit next season from the other Welsh regions tightening their belts and introducing a salary cap of £3.5million, a figure that the Rodney Parade region are currently a million shy of.