SCOTT Prince going to Brisbane was the worst-case scenario for the Gold Coast Titans.

The club's front office would have been glad to see him go off to Hull, where he would be far from the prying eyes of its disenchanted fan base.

Success in the English Super League would have meant nothing to the many fans who are angry about the decision to let their favourite player walk away.

Success in Brisbane would not only serve to validate that anger but would also be a disaster for a coach and general manager who are under fire after successive losing seasons.

Don't get me wrong, I think Gold Coast did the right thing cutting ties with Prince.

He was no longer capable of being the chief ballplayer on a team in the midst of rebuilding a roster that got too old, very quickly.

It was always going to be tough to sell the "rebuilding" message to fans, but it gets a lot tougher when you dump a guy who has been the face of the team since day one and has a resume that includes a Clive Churchill Medal, a Dally M Halfback of the Year award, five Origins and four Test caps.

Prince might flop in Brisbane and that will make Titans management look smart (something that hasn't happened in a long time).

He might break an arm. He might, as he has for much of the past two years, look lost drifting around the field looking for a runner that isn't there. He might just turn out to be Matt Orford playing for the Raiders. But I think he'll succeed.

Why? Because Brisbane is the perfect place for Prince.

This is a team that was a Darren Lockyer injury from a premiership a little over a year ago.

He doesn't need to be the star of the show. When the Broncos are playing well, they play good defence and win the field position battle.

I still have questions about Brisbane's explosiveness and think they will be in trouble if Justin Hodges misses significant time with an injury.

But adding Prince has a chance to pay big dividends for the Broncos. And if it does the Titans, and their suffering fans, will have a front-row ticket.

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