Gold Coast’s beleaguered squad are feeling the effects of their torrid season in more ways than one but interim coach Craig Hodges is optimistic they can break the “vicious” cycle on Friday.

A loss to Parramatta in Robina on Friday would extend the Titans’ losing streak to a club-worst eight NRL games, having conceded at least 24 points in all seven of those losses.

The sixth-placed Eels can punch their finals ticket – and stay in the hunt for a top-four finish – with a win, while injury concerns to Michael Gordon (hamstring) and Nathan Peats (knee) are among “five or six” that have made the task even tougher for Hodges.

Add the external criticism that comes with a season that has only got worse since the axing of head coach Garth Brennan and Hodges has his work cut out.

“We haven’t even got 21 fit players at the moment … we’ll just put the fittest 17 we’ve got out there,” Hodges said on Thursday.

“It’s the end of a long year … I know they’ve copped a lot of stick from the outside as well, they tell me it’s quite vicious.

“It (a win) would be great reward for them.”

Jarrod Wallace will play after the birth of his daughter on Wednesday while, if fit, Hodges said hooker Peats could be deployed as a loose forward given the Titans’ casualty ward.

The Eels will look to Mitchell Moses, who boasts an NRL-best 26 try assists this season, to play off a forward pack that should have a size advantage over the injury-hit Titans.

“We’ll have a smaller pack, more mobile so (the key will be to) take time and space way from them and not let them get wound up,” Hodges said.

STATS THAT MATTER

* The Titans are conceding the most tries (4.6 per game), points (26.5), line breaks (6.1), making the least run metres (1340) and missing the most tackles (29.8) in the NRL.

* The Titans will need to win at least two of their remaining four matches to equal their fewest wins in a season (six).

* Against the Eels, the Titans average their most points per game (23.1) and concede their fewest (18.9).