John Cartwright drops major hint on Catalans future as recruitment question addressed

Catalans boss John Cartwright insists no final decision has been made on his contract, but admits he is loving life with the Dragons.

Former Hull FC head coach Cartwright took charge of French outfit Catalans midway through last month, replacing Joel Tomkins in the hotseat at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

The Australian only penned a short-term initial deal until the end of the 2026 season, but last week, LoveRugbyLeague learned he was set to extend his stay.

That would still appear to be the case, with Cartwright full of praise for the Dragons as he addressed his future following a narrow 18-16 defeat away at Warrington Wolves on Thursday night.

‘I spoke to the club last week about where it’s at, and we haven’t finalised anything, but I really am enjoying the job’

Catalans have won three of Cartwright’s first five games at the helm, with their defeats during that run coming to Wigan Warriors in Paris and Warrington at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Post-match after the loss to Wire, he said: “We’ve said we’ll give it a little bit of time to see how both sides feel.

“I spoke to the club last week about where it’s at, and we haven’t finalised anything, but I really am enjoying the job.

“I’ve really enjoyed it, it (the opportunity) came along at the right time and it’s been a real breath of fresh air to work with the people that I’m working with.

“I think the improvement in the team has been enormous, I spoke the last four weeks about finding some grit in defence, we’ve showed signs of it and there were more signs tonight.

“The club has a lot of ability and opportunity, there are a couple of decent signings on board already for next year, I think the future looks bright.”

Questions around Cartwright’s contract come following announcements of the signings of NRL duo Jesse Arthurs and Tyson Gamble for 2027.

Utility back Arthurs joins from reigning NRL kings Brisbane Broncos, while half-back Gamble has signed on the dotted line from Newcastle Knights.

Cartwright said: “I’ve just given advice because I’ve worked with those two guys before.

“They (the club) have been pro-active with their recruitment, they’ve always recruited heavy from the NRL with top-end players, and they probably backed off a bit last year.

“The guys they’ve brought in are doing a fantastic job, but Toby (Sexton) is moving on, so it was imperative they signed a half-back.

“Jesse’s an NRL-standard centre at the peak of his career, I think it’s a great signing by the club.”