Brennan benching cull talk
GOLD Coast coach Garth Brennan has insisted Bryce Cartwright will not be a flop after his star recruit spent 79 minutes warming the bench.
Cartwright played just one minute of the Titans’ upset 26-14 win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on 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.
Cartwright’s cameo came at the end of the first half when he replaced backrower Kevin Proctor, ordered off the field to undergo a concussion test.
Proctor passed the test during the break and returned to the field at the start of the second half.
Cartwright’s defensive attitude has been questioned throughout his 73-game NRL career and Brennan admitted he was reluctant to tinker.
“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.”