Fittler urging Bryce to step up
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.
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.”
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 was adamant he could extract the best of the ballplaying 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,” Brennan said.