It's interesting reading - IMHO IF Barba would've maintained his form and IF Saints would've won the Grand Final and IF Barba would now have been merrily plying his trade in the NRL, he could quite easily be already thought of as the Greatest Full Back ever!
But as none of those three things came to pass, he's remembered quite differently.
I should imagine there is quite a variable perspective in what compliments a great full back, some want an attacking full back some a defending full back some want both attributes. In Barba we saw those first 10 games were he was untouchable when attacking, he actually had a reasonable spell when defending as well.
He started to go AWOL in defence around the 15 game mark and became a total liability after that...............for me he was a half season wonder and the bad games will gradually be a very distant memory. For me overall in a full season Wello in his prime was better than Barba.
I think that's a bit of a reach. He won MOS and I doubt anybody in Australia will look beyond that. They won't judge him negatively on Saints not winning the Grand Final last year, much like they wouldn't have judged him any more positively had we got there and won it. He'll be judged primarily on his career in the NRL because whatever he may have done at Saints was for basically only a season.
I would struggle to see anybody in Australia regarding him as a better fullback than Clive Churchill or Billy Slater etc and I doubt many here would even put him up with Wellens at Saints let alone the entire British game.
Happy with Cooootttteee me .
roy litherland it's happened i told you it would
In fact the Aussie press either completely airbrush his time in SL away, or use the line “MOS helped Saints to the Minor Premiership” so kinda make him look a success.
I met him a couple of times at Saints and he seemed well-adjusted and extremely happy out of the goldfish bowl, but we all know what happens next!
Such a great waste of talent and as others have said, maybe if he’d stayed.........?
Agree that Cooooooote is a much better long term team fit.
Can't stop the spirits when they need you.
This life is more than just a read through.
I'd disagree but only because of the context. At the time we'd been suffering a serious decline in playing standards, entertainment value and poor recruitment. Barba was one of very few real 'bums on seats' signings of the SL era. Regardless of whether we were going to end up winning anything last season he was (along with Holbrook) precisely what this club needed both on and off the field
That makes it harder. How do you turn to your kids and tell them that their hero cracks his wife with a shoe?
He may have behaved himself had he stayed here. Maybe it was only a matter of time before he balls’ed up here too. Him leaving early (coupled with Cootes form) suggests that it was a blessing in disguise for us. We really dodged a bullet.
screaming in the family corner, scaring the kiddies
Was reading the other day his home priced at the best part of a million dollars has gone up for sale.
It’s hard to think the way his life has changed the last 12 months can’t mess with his head. He had 2-3 years to be able to put him and his family in a comfortable position if not set for life. Instead he’s doing something less exciting, for longer hours on a fraction of the pay and for the next 25-30 years I’d imagine?
I don’t feel sorry for the guy but did used to think at just how it must effect you having messed up not only an amazing opportunity for yourself but for your family too.
A friend who’d recently been to Oz was told his family are wealthy, not sure how accurate that is or if it may In someway be a contributing factor to his stupidity.