Losing Shaun Lane to injury and Isaiah Papali'i to the Wests Tigers forced coach Brad Arthur to play Cartwright in the second row to begin the season, despite only starting him once across two previous NRL campaigns.
The selection decision appeared a nervous one; at its best, Cartwright's attack has won him plaudits but he has previously faced criticism for his work-rate in defence.
Cartwright had only shown glimpses of his best since leaving Penrith in 2017 and before the Eels signed him from Gold Coast in 2021, he had been facing the possibility of returning to local football.
Even on the run to the 2022 grand final, Cartwright was only a fringe first-grader.
But the 28-year-old's form has been a refreshing point of consistency in a tumultuous 2023 for Parramatta.
Cartwright had one of his best games as an Eel against the Titans last week and heading into Saturday's clash with North Queensland, he is only one of only four men to have played in each of their 18 games this season.
He is running the football for more metres than in any season of his career bar 2016, when he was on the cusp of NSW selection, and is averaging more tackles per game - 26.5 - than ever before.
"It's probably just the time and minutes that I've been able to spend on the field," Cartwright said of his form.
"Having Brad be able to trust me out there and get more time, I felt like I was always going to improve.
"In the periods where I was coming off the bench, it was obviously a bit harder."
On the right edge, Cartwright is gelling nicely with halfback Mitch Moses, who has been impressed by his teammate's new-found defensive mindset.
"The style of footy that he has had to adapt to, the change to what he's doing now to what he used to do, it's massive for him. It's a big thing," Moses said.
"It's the work that he's doing off the field, getting his body right, how we trains, he had a big pre-season with us.
"The footy he's playing at the moment has been a credit to him."
Cartwright is the only member of Parramatta's team from last week without a contract beyond this season but he is keen to call Kellyville home into the future.
"I'm still sort of working on that," he said.
"I'm sure it'll all get done soon.
"I don't want to be anywhere else, I love Parramatta. They gave me a chance when I had no one."
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