Panthers ready for sixth Carty party
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
If you took a six pack to the Carty Party, you’d have one for each member of the family to play first grade for Penrith.
Jed Cartwright carries a surname synonymous with the Panthers.
The 22-year-old son of former NSW and Australian forward John Cartwright is on the cusp of making his NRL debut and becoming the sixth member of his prodigious rugby league family to play for Penrith.
Jed’s father, his uncles David, Michael and Cliff, and his cousin Bryce have all worn the Panthers jersey.
And his grandfather, Merv Cartwright, worked tirelessly to gain the Panthers entry into the NSWRL competition in 1967 before becoming the club’s first secretary.
But being a descendant of the godfather of Penrith doesn’t automatically guarantee you a start as a Panther.
Jed’s father John was a Penrith legend.
“There is a fair bit of pressure that goes with the name,” Jed’s father, John Cartwright, said.
“So to be able to achieve his goal, it would make us super proud.
“I know when I came through as a junior, my Dad (Merv) was synonymous with Penrith. I think sometimes you have to work that little bit harder because of that.
“You’re always going to get people saying you’re there because of your Dad or your name. It certainly gave me that extra drive.”
Back-rower Viliame Kikau’s knee injury will keep him out for six weeks, opening the door for utility player Cartwright to push for a bench spot for Penrith’s season opener against Parramatta on March 17.
He is a true utility having previously played left and right wing, fullback, centre and in the halves. He seems to have settled in the back row although he still trains sometimes at centre.
Merv Cartwright was Penrith’s founding father.
Panthers general manager Phil Gould spoke highly of Cartwright on Tuesday night saying: “Jed Cartwright had a wretched year in 2018 and virtually missed a whole season with injury.
“He has trained brilliantly this summer and is in terrific shape. His trial on the weekend was very encouraging.
“I’m confident that once he gets some regular game time under his belt, we will see an NRL debut from him this season. He certainly has the potential”.
Cartwright played 24 under-20s games for the Gold Coast in 2015 and 2016 before shifting to Penrith and representing the Panthers 25 times in the NSW Intrust Premiership over the following two years, scoring seven tries.
“I certainly think he has the ability to play NRL and I know he has the will to play. I’m hopeful. I would be so happy for him if he did,” his father John said.
Carwright played well in the trial win over South Sydney.
“I know he has worked really hard, especially over the last 12 months to get himself in a really good place. He needs to play some football to get some miles in his legs.
“He had a really, really tough season last year with injury and mentally he was struggling with it. He had some tough times so I’m happy he’s been able to really have his first full off-season and be able to do the majority of the training and to get a crack in the trial the other night. He did pretty well.
“The main thing is that mentally he is in a way better position than what he was in last year, and physically also. He is now at the right playing weight.”
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...y/news-story/1c2e4374d192c9ae688e4ac4d2a04279
