Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan denies Bryce Cartwright is afraid of defending

TITANS coach Garth Brennan has shot down suggestions five-eighth Bryce Cartwright is scared of tackling as the rookie coach turns to the former Panthers to help spark Gold Coast’s season.

Bryce Cartwright of the Titans in action during the Round 3 NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the St George-Illawarra Dragons at Clive Berghofer Stadium in Toowoomba, Queensland, Sunday, March 25, 2018. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

TITANS coach Garth Brennan has shot down suggestions five-eighth Bryce Cartwright is scared of tackling.

Brennan’s Titans return to Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday for the first time since Round 1 to face the resurgent Cronulla Sharks.

After a six-week roadshow because of the Commonwealth Games, the Titans return to their home ground as the NRL’s worst defensive team.

Despite boasting a respectable 3-4 record, the Titans have conceded 197 points at an average of 28 a game.

Cartwright has moved to five-eighth this week.

Brennan’s patience finally wore thin after last week’s 26-14 defeat to North Queensland, and he sent No. 6 Kane Elgey back to the Intrust Super Cup.

While Elgey was an opposition target, Cartwright’s defensive is also suspect, although Brennan was adamant it was a structural problem and not mental.

“He has to make his one-on-one tackles,” said Brennan of Cartwright, who missed five tackles in his last match at Cbus.

“I don’t want him to be a speed bump, I want him to stop the players and make the tackle.

“I’m sure he will. It’s not a fear factor with Bryce. He is more than willing to get into the contact and put his body on the line.

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“It’s just his technique and working on getting his feet in closer.

“I’m confident he will do a good job at five-eighth.”

Brennan recruited Cartwright from Penrith to play in the forward pack, however the 23-year-old has found himself at five-eighth because of Elgey’s poor form.

Brennan does not want to play Cartwright in the halves long-term, but backed him to form a slick combination with halfback Ash Taylor.

“He’s missed a lot of footy and been moved around which is not ideal,” Brennan said.

“Bryce is a pretty good organiser as well. At training Bryce’s talk was exceptional. He steered them more than Ash did at training which was really exciting.

“Bryce Cartwright at five-eighth is not the ideal situation, but it’s what’s best for the team at the moment.

Cartwright’s tackling has been criticised.

“Until Kane gets his confidence back and playing the sort of football I know he can play … I’m sure Bryce can do a job in the meantime.”

When they control possession, the Titans have proven to be a slick attacking outfit this season, scoring 130 points at an average of 18.5 a game.

But you cannot challenge for the NRL premiership with poor defence, and captain Ryan James said the Titans were not proud of their record.

“It’s not that good,” he said.

“We’ve worked on a lot of it during the off-season. We just have to be better.

“We’re back at home. It’s good to play in front of your home crowd.

“We want to show them we want to play good footy and defend our way to that.”

James, who underwent scans this week, has been cleared to play after copping a solid shot to his kidneys — which caused him to pass blood — in last week’s loss to the Cowboys.

He will start in the Gold Coast’s front row alongside Jarrod Wallace in what will be the Queensland Origin prop’s 100th NRL match.

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Originally published as Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan denies Bryce Cartwright is afraid of defending