Kane Elgey appeared to lose his love for playing rugby league before he was dropped to reserve grade this week, according to Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Elgey will run out in Mackay for Tweed Heads in the Queensland Cup on Saturday, just hours before his regular Titans teammates take to the field against Cronulla in the NRL with Bryce Cartwright in the No.6.
Ultimately, the 24-year-old has paid the price for not just the Titans' two-straight losses, but their leaky defence which has conceded the most points, tries and linebreaks in the NRL this year.
But Brennan said Elgey's issues went deeper than just his defence, with the young playmaker lacking confidence in his game as the Titans go about trying to fight their way back into the top eight.
"He knows the areas he needs to work on," Brennan said.
"Obviously defence is one of them but it's just confidence and getting him to enjoy playing footy again.
"Kane's confidence was down and his willingness to get into the contact caused him to come up with some misses.
"I've probably seen the love of the game go out of him a little bit. I think just getting back and relaxing and enjoying the pressure will be good for Kane."
Brennan has made no secret of the fact he doesn't expect this to be a long-term move.
In fact, he admitted at training on Friday it was "not the ideal situation".
But Cartwright himself is not without his defensive troubles.
He's averaging 2.3 misses himself this year and has struggled to nail down a spot after arriving from Penrith late in the off-season.
"It's certainly not a fear factor with Bryce," Brennan said.
"He's more than willing to get into contact and put his body on the line. It's more of a technique and working on getting his feet in a little a bit closer.
Meanwhile Brennan said he had no concerns with how Cartwright would fit into the Titans' attack, predicting he would take some of the organising responsibilities off young halfback Ash Taylor.
"At training on Wednesday he really took control and told them where they need to be," Brennan said.
"He is starting to feel confident with the players around him and getting to know them off the field as well as on the field and I think that is going to help him with his confidence.
"He steered them more than Ash did at training which is really exciting to see."
Australian Associated Press
