Brennan says Carty’s Coast critics should wait just a minute
http://www.couriermail.com.au

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 how they were working together.”

Cartwright’s benching raises genuine questions about his best long-term position.

Brennan thrust the former Panthers dynamo into the defensively demanding position of lock to start the season and he 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 benching.

At 23 and having signed a four-year deal with the Gold Coast, Cartwright has time on his side and Brennan said 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.”

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.