Bryce Cartwright must face a few home truths and shed the "under-20s superstar mentality" to be a success on the Gold Coast, former NRL star Scott Sattler says.
The Penrith utility broke his long-term contract to join the Titans on Saturday and link up with former coach Garth Brennan on the Gold Coast, in a four-year deal reported to be worth almost $3 million.
Cartwright's exit isn't believed to be football-related, with off-field issues and media scrutiny in Sydney understood to have played a part in his departure.
The move north also frees up salary cap space for Penrith, who will have to roll out the red carpet for star half Nathan Cleary if he is to remain at the Panthers once his contract expires in 2019.
Former Titans football manager Sattler played for the Gold Coast Chargers and Seagulls before a 113-game stint with Penrith.
He said the talented 23-year-old would offer the Titans something new but simply moving to Queensland wasn't a magic potion for success.
"It's a good signing for the Titans to have a ball-playing forward. The game can be so predictable but his skills are unique," said Sattler.
"But he has to realise that he'll always be scrutinised for every move he makes. That's just part of the territory of being an NRL player.
"They've had a bit of lower-grade success in Penrith too and I think there needs to be a move away from that under-20s superstar mentality now too."
Titans coach Garth Brennan, who has known Cartwright since he was 17, said he had a good relationship with the forward when he coached him at Penrith.
He said he had chatted to him last October about a potential move to the Gold Coast.
"I just felt I could get him up here and get him away from what he was dealing with back at home, I just thought a change would be good for him," Brennan told Triple M Rush Hour.
"So I raised it with him and at that point he wasn't ready to move and to leave home. So that was sort of the end of it and then it sort of raised its head a week or so ago."
Cartwright's move also has historical significance given his grandfather Merv was credited for the Panthers' admission into the NSW Rugby League in 1967.
His uncle John, Merv's son and the inaugural Titans coach, played in the Panthers' first premiership team in 1991.
While John's son Jed remains at the club, Sattler said it hurt to see a name synonymous with Penrith depart.
Brennan confirmed the Titans' interest in Panthers utility Tyrone Peachey for the 2019 season and that he had shown him around the area recently.
"Obviously it's in Penrith's ball park at the moment to make a decision whether they're willing to let him go," Brennan said.
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