Titans coach Garth Brennan pleads patience for star recruit Bryce Cartwright
BRYCE Cartwright played just one minute in the Titans’ victory over Brisbane — but Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan says his 73-game recruit is still a work in progress.
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GOLD Coast coach Garth Brennan has insisted Bryce Cartwright will not be a flop at the Titans after his star recruit spent 79 minutes warming the bench.
Cartwright played just one minute of the Gold Coast’s upset win against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Easter Sunday.
The NSW Origin hopeful was relegated to the bench after a poor start to the season where he has averaged four missed tackles a game and offered little impact with the ball.
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Cartwright’s one-minute cameo came at the end of the first half when he replaced backrower Kevin Proctor after he was ordered off the field to undergo a concussion test.
Proctor passed the test during the half-time break, meaning he returned to the field at the start of the second half and Cartwright sat on the bench for the rest of the gripping 26-14 victory.
Cartwright’s defensive attitude has been questioned throughout his 73-game NRL career and Brennan admitted he was reluctant to tinker with his side with the game on the line.
“When it became a real defensive arm-wrestle at that point, I couldn’t get him back into the game,” Brennan said.
“It was just the way the game panned out. I thought Will Matthews and Kevin Proctor were doing enormous jobs on our edges defensively.
“It was a case that I couldn’t get him into the game how I would have liked to.
“The boys that were out there were defending really well and I didn’t want to change how they were working together.
“He would have liked to have played more minutes but he understands it’s a 17-man game.”
Cartwright’s benching raises genuine questions about his best long-term position at the Titans.
Brennan thrust the former Penrith Panthers dynamo into the defensively demanding position of lock to the start the season and Cartwright was exposed.
The coach admitted it was unfair to pitch Cartwright into the halves against New Zealand, but he struggled again in the forward pack in the 54-8 loss to St George-Illawarra, prompting his demotion to the bench.
At 23 and having signed a four-year deal with the Gold Coast, Cartwright has time on his side and Brennan said Titans fans would see the best of him.
“He’s not a dummy — he knows what he needs to work on and I speak to him about that,” Brennan said.
“I’ve said from day one Bryce is a work in progress. He is only 23. He’s going to take some time. We’re in no rush. He is here for a couple of years.
“I’m going to continue to work with him. I’ve got no doubt whatsoever that Bryce will get to where we want him to get to. Next weekend he will probably play a lot more minutes.”
Cartwright’s move to the bench allowed Jai Arrow, an early contender for the NRL’s buy of the year, to wear his favoured No. 13 jersey.
Arrow, 22, was excellent again in a 35-tackle performance while props Ryan James (135m, 36 tackles) and Jarrod Wallace (107m, 27 tackles) also thrived in the engine room.
“I thought our middles really stood up,” Brennan said.
“I criticised them publicly and privately last week. They threw Ash (Taylor), Kane (Elgey) and our edges under the bus with their performance.
“They stood up (against the Broncos). Hence, the edges had a bit more joy.
“There were some fantastic performances. I say it every week but Jai Arrow keeps getting better.”
The Titans will face Manly on Sunday in Gladstone in the third match of their six-week roadshow because of the Commonwealth Games.
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