RELEASE ME

Cartwright wants out as Gold Coast clears the decks

MALIGNED Titans forward Bryce Cartwright is on the verge of quitting the Gold Coast club as he weighs up his future in the NRL.

News Corp can reveal Cartwright is seeking a release from his contract at the Titans to return to Sydney for personal reasons.

Cartwright was a notable omission from the Titans team for last week’s loss to Melbourne and did not face his former club Penrith on Sunday at Cbus Super Stadium.

It is understood he has returned to Sydney with his family and may have played his last game for the Titans.

The Titans will also this week finalise a release for $2.4 million flop Shannon Boyd to leave the club. Boyd has only made one NRL appearance this year and plans to retire and work in a family business.

The departures of Boyd and possibly Cartwright, along with captain Ryan James’s move to Canberra next year, have freed up significant salary cap space for the Titans.

That allowed the club to secure the signature of boom Broncos forward David Fifita on Saturday on a three-year contract worth $3.5 million.

Cartwright was released by the Panthers to join the Titans in 2018 under former coach Garth Brennan, who was an assistant at Penrith and had a close bond with Cartwright.

He has failed to find any genuine consistent form in 43 games for the Gold Coast and is likely to depart immediately despite being contracted until the end of the 2021 season.

Cartwright, 25, burst on to the NRL scene in 2014 and was talked about as a potential NSW Origin star.

But his defensive efforts have regularly been criticised and it is believed his love for the game has waned in recent years.

Cartwright told News Corp a fortnight ago, in the lead-up to his final game, that he wondered how much longer he could play on for.

“I had a meniscus tear when I was 15 and the surgeon scraped out all the cartilage. Then two years ago, I did the meniscus in my other knee. Since then, it’s been bone-onbone,” he said.

“The critics don’t see what you go through. Two weeks ago, I had to get my knees drained ... My knees swell up and I have to get it drained all the time.

“We get paid good money, but it’s not an easy ride.

“It’s hard mentally on me at times. But I always believe in never giving up.

“I do get disappointed at my inconsistency and I want to get back to playing the football I know I can. I want to repay the Titans for giving me a chance.”