Rejuvenated Bryce Cartwright declares he never wants to leave the Titans

Bryce Cartwright has revealed he wants to stay at the Titans for the rest of his career as the skilful backrower admits his previous form for the club has not been up to par.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 09: Bryce Cartwright passes during a Gold Coast Titans NRL training session at Titans High Performance Centre on March 09, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

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Bryce Cartwright says he has found happiness in football and life again and wants to finish his career at the Titans as a debt of gratitude for the club standing by him during the darkest days of his turbulent career.

The Cartwright who runs out in the clash against Parramatta at Cbus Super Stadium is a stronger soul than the tortured figure who left Penrith at the end of 2017 with his personal life in disarray.

The rugby league fraternity knows Cartwright’s back-story well. For the past two years at the Titans, Cartwright’s on-field form mirrored his off-field life in Sydney’s west - turbulent, frustrating and unpredictable.

But the winds of change that heralded new coach Justin Holbrook’s arrival at the Titans could be an appropriate metaphor for Cartwright’s revitalised state of mind.

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Injuries have held Cartwright back in recent years. AAP Image/Dave Hunt.

After 37 games for the Gold Coast, some of which Cartwright concedes have been downright shockers, triggering his relegation to the Intrust Super Cup in 2018, the 25-year-old believes he has overcome his past traumas and found stability.

“I feel like I’ve come out the other side,” Cartwright says.

“I have definitely found that happiness in football. I’ve had a couple of good pre-seasons the past two years so I feel like I have started to build again after everything I went through.

“I have a great family and a great support system. The Titans have had my back since day dot when I got here whether I’ve played good or bad.

“I just want to have a good year for the Titans. I do feel like I owe the club. The fans deserve some good performances from the team and I want to be a part of that.”

Cartwright’s Nines campaign last month has stoked his motivational embers. There was a classy chip-and-chase and some flick passes that stuck, the type of plays that rocketed Cartwright into NSW Origin contention with his rampaging season at Penrith in 2016.

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Cartwright is happier on the field than he has been for some time. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

But the back-rower is candid about the current state of his NRL career. His defence at times in the past two seasons has been worryingly frail and there is a view Cartwright will never recapture the matchwinning mojo he oozed in his pomp at Penrith.

He notches his 107th NRL game this weekend, which is exactly 100 more than Cartwright expected to play when he suffered a shocking ankle fracture six years ago. Doctors told him he would never run again. Despite that, Cartwright has soldiered on, adamant he has not fulfilled his potential in the code.

“I honestly don’t think I’ve given my best in the game,” he said. “I’m only young and I still have a long way to go and things to improve. I want to be a consistent player this year. I don’t think I have ever been that type of player so that’s what I want to change about myself this year.

“Look, people know that defence is one of my weakest points. I’ve been working on that side of my game. Jimmy Dymock (Titans assistant coach and former Origin and Test lock) has come to the club and I have great respect for what he achieved as a player. I’m enjoying the defensive systems he’s been teaching us.

Cartwright has spent the last three seasons with the Titans. Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images.

“I want to be a guy this year that my coach and teammates can trust. Whether I play one minute or 80 minutes, I want the guys to look at me and think, ‘He can do the job’.”

Cartwright is off-contract at the end of next year, but hopes to remain at the Titans for the long haul.

“I have one more year after this, so I have some security, but it’s important that I play more consistently,” he said. “I need to stay fit and healthy and win some games.

“I’d definitely love to finish my career at the Titans. I love the club. They have made me feel comfortable so if I’m doing well I feel no reason to leave.”

Titans coach Holbrook lauded Cartwright’s attitude.

“Bryce has been brilliant in pre-season,” he said. “He had a good Nines tournament and I’m looking forward to Bruce having a good year for us.

“I’m not putting pressure on him. I just want Bryce to play the way I know he can play and I will back him to do well.”