Edwards has begun light training and head coach Ron McCarthy said this week that all the indications were that Edwards would pack into the Dolphins’ scrum again this year.

While the Dolphins began their defence of their premiership encouragingly last season, captain-coach Darren Drury’s Old Bar Clams’ more physical rugby saw them overpower the Dolphins in the major semi-final and then the grand final, games in which Edwards was sorely missed.

Official training began for the Dolphins at Rugby Park, Tuncurry, last night and will continue each Tuesday and Thursday night from 6pm.

The club hopes to field first and reserve grade XVs and an under-16 side. New and old players are encouraged to begin training immediately.

Uncertainty surrounds the local playing future of two of the Dolphins’ brightest young players, teenagers Sean Hassett and Max Elmes.

Hassett is committed to undertaking a university course in Newcastle and Elmes may also begin a university course there.

They would be enormous losses as both are players of considerable promise, Hassett as a rangy lineout jumping blindside flanker and Elmes as an enterprising back.

Likewise, hard-running No 8 John Vakaahi may decide to hang up his boots, ending a tremendous career, but Brad Durham, the Dolphins’ smart halfback, has indicated he will continue his rugby.

There has been much interest from outside the Mid North Coast Zone in the Dolphins’ first tournament of the season, the Saxby Schweppes Super 10s, early in March with 22 teams already nominating for the day.

One team which will cause much interest will be an assembly of players who have played for the Dolphins early in their careers, players such as Richard Fear, Daniel Hessing, Mitch Lee and Luke English.