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NRL Betting: Can Titans thrive without their Prince?

Origin III left those who barrack for the Titans with very mixed feelings ahead of a crucial clash with the Sea Eagles, writes Andy Morris.

Few on the Gold Coast will be fully celebrating Queensland's three-peat over the Blues.

For the Titans know that their hold on a place in the eight, which looked very secure just three weeks ago, could be quite shaky if they lose to Manly.

The Sea Eagles now occupy the top spot on the ladder that until recently belonged to the Titans, while the Gold Coast have slipped to sixth and have Brisbane and Parramatta breathing hard down their necks.

The Panthers, Knights, Raiders and even the 12th-placed Wests Tigers are only two wins behind the Titans going into the round, and the very last thing the Gold Coast needed was to lose one of its star players at this stage of the season.

This season's stats show just how valuable Scott Prince has been for his team. He has 99 points, fifth in the competition and some 75 clear of his nearest club rival Anthony Laffranchi. Not only that but he has 16 try assists for the season which is 11 better than anyone else at the club. Prince has booted 41 goals, and in play has kicked 4,414 metres already - sixth best in the competition.

The broken forearm Prince suffered in Queensland's winning cause on Wednesday is expected to sideline him until the second week of the finals.

But that return date could prove immaterial unless the Titans turn around their form and actually make the finals.

One win in the last five games has sucked the Titans down into the mix, but they do still boast a good home record at Skilled Park, having won 87 per cent of their games there this year and only suffered their first loss of the season on the ground against the Dragons last week.

Manly goes into the game with 10 away wins from 14 road trips, having won four games on the trot and eight of the past nine.

Injuries have been a big factor in the Titans' recent demise - Luke Bailey is gone for the season, while Aaron Cannings is ruled out for six weeks.

Bailey's absence will hurt the Titans in several areas, particularly in territory where they already average almost 100 metres less per game than Manly. Bailey was second on the Titans' list of metre-eaters with 116m per game.

Mat Rogers did a good job against the Dragons last week in Prince's absence, with eight kicks for 336 metres, but he will feel some heat this time against a Sea Eagles side that looks to smother kicks.

Punters may see some value in the Sea Eagles by under 12.5 points, as there looks to be plenty of points but not much space between the teams. Manly is being backed as low as $1.4 in thematch odds market, having been $1.62 at one point before Prince's injury.

In the round's other games, the Dragons can be taken to repeat their away form by disposing of the Knights, while the Storm are virtual certainties at Olympic Park against the Raiders.

The two other games are much harder to pick. The Eels and Panthers look evenly matched, with Parramatta possibly worth a punt on the basis of playing at home and having beaten Penrith 26-18 in round eight.

The Rabbitohs and Bulldogs will be out for the competition points to take themselves further away from the wooden spoon. The Bulldogs have won all five clashes at this venue, while the Rabbitohs are the in-form side and can be hesitantly backed - albeit unless you really have to take a punt on this one it could be safer to avoid.