Brisbane Broncos assistant coach John Cartwright has confirmed he has held discussions with the NSWRL over the potential of him becoming the next Blues coach.
The Blues are on the hunt for a new coach after Brad Fittler quit his post a matter of weeks ago.
At this stage, the NSWRL board have asked for expressions of interest, and while a number of names have been filtered into the discussion, nothing concrete has emerged.
Ricky Stuart was one name believed to be targeted, but Cartwright confirmed on SEN Radio that he is out of the mix, while also admitting he has held discussions with NSWRL chairman Dave Trodden.
“When Freddy stood down, I was initially just talking to Ricky Stuart about it and where he stood,” Cartwright told SEN 1170 Sportsday.
“He was sort of thinking that it maybe would be something he would be interested in… Ricky’s an all-in or all-out type of guy, that’s what he said to me.
He told me, ‘I’m either all into it’, which is going to affect his Raiders job, ‘Or I’m out’.
“Then he said, ‘Would you consider doing it?’, and I said, ‘I’d love to do it’.
“I just had a quick talk to Dave Trodden and I think now they just go through their process with the CEO and the board.”
Cartwright spent eight seasons in charge of the Gold Coast Titans to launch his NRL coaching career, while he has also coached City Origin and the USA.
He is currently working under Kevin Walters at the Brisbane Broncos.