NSW Blues coach tells Bryce Cartwright he need to seize his opportunity at the Titans
NSW coach and Penrith legend Brad Fittler has urged Bryce Cartwright not to blow his chance at the Titans if he wants to play State of Origin.
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NSW coach and Penrith legend Brad Fittler has urged Bryce Cartwright not to blow his chance at the Titans, telling the troubled star to bury his off-field demons if he wants to play State of Origin.
Cartwright arrives at the Titans on Friday under pressure to resurrect a promising career that unravelled at Penrith last season, triggering his shock release from the Panthers on Saturday.
Just two years ago, Cartwright was considered NSW’s next golden boy after a superb club campaign that saw him named 18th man by the Blues for two games of the 2016 Origin series.
But Cartwright’s nightmare 2017 season, headlined by his alleged role in an abortion scandal, has raised queries as to whether the 23-year-old can make a successful rehabilitation at the Titans.
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If anyone can empathise with Cartwright’s plight, it is Fittler. He confronted the pressures of stardom as a teenager at the Panthers in the 1990s and says the rangy utility needs to get his head right to have any hope of breaking into the Origin arena this season.
“It’s the key for anyone these days, Bryce needs to focus on football. If he plays well, I’ll consider him (for NSW), but it’s up to him,” said Fittler, who played 119 games for Penrith and 31 Origin matches for NSW.
“He’s in the equation for me, he’s one of several kids. He is a real talent — but it’s on him.
“Bryce has had some huge challenges in the last year, so it would be nice to see him get away and freshen up at the Titans.
“Maybe him going up north might be the best thing for him.
“Bryce has to keep his focus and make sure he plays good football at the Titans. If he does that he will standout.”
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New Titans mentor Garth Brennan spent five years in various coaching roles at Penrith before his shift to the Gold Coast. He worked closely with Cartwright in his formative years at the Panthers and is adamant he can extract the best of the ball-playing back-rower or five-eighth.
“I felt he needed to get out of Penrith and have a fresh start with a coach he knows and trusts. I raised it with him last year,” Brennan said.
“Bryce is a Penrith kid, he’s lived his whole life in Penrith with his family. He’s had some well documented issues off the field in the last 12 months.
“To move away from his support base, his family and friends, he really needed a coach he trusted and knew.
“I could be a good support for him because I know him so well. You look at the guys who have left Penrith in recent years like Michael Jennings and Luke Lewis.
“They were Penrith guys who played all their careers there then left and went to another level.
“Bryce is probably at that stage where if he leaves, he could go to another level. I’m hoping he can do that here at the Gold Coast.”
Cartwright recently became a father and Brennan believes it will bring added maturity to his on-field contributions for the Titans.
“He’s settled down. He’s got a partner and newborn baby. He’s in a really good place,” he said.
“He’s got a skill level I haven’t seen in too many players I’ve coached.
“He’s got a lot of deficiencies in his game that he needs to work on, but that’s our job as coaches to get the best out of Bryce.”
Originally published as NSW Blues coach tells Bryce Cartwright he need to seize his opportunity at the Titans