Thinking red and white by the beach in Oz!!!
I just don’t understand some of the attitude on here. I raised what I thought was a perfectly legitimate and relevant point about the topic. Namely would you want Barba back after he went missing in action once his NRL contract was signed. I get it that most of you don’t like my team, as has been made clear on innumerable occasions, but why not give a reasoned response than all the frothy mouthed posturing?
For what it’s worth, you won’t find much argument from Wire fans re Widdop, although it is early days yet (Barba didn’t exactly set the world alight in his first few games either).
Barba still has the conviction against his partner against him. He won’t play NRL. Would you want him back in SL.?
GW not doing so well!!! Why the hell Barba would want to play in Spain is beyond me!!!
That's a bit disingenuous of you isn't it? Saying 'impression of the invisible man' is a clear goad. In answer to your question - if we were in need of him I would personally have him, but I don't see where he'd fit in without upsetting the balance of the team at this moment, especially given he'd need at least 6 months to get back to speed - something we could afford to give him when he first came and were weak in that position. The only reason I'd take him now is so he doesn't end up at a rival club.
Not for me, I think his time here was sensational for a while then ultimately disappointing. He has too much stuff going on around him, and it's clearly obvious that the only reason he ever played for us and would ever play for us in future is because his preferred option was/is closed to him. Nothing wrong with that professionally, but once a sniff of an NRL contract came his way he was mentally done with us, and that would be the case again. Again, nothing wrong with a professional looking for the best options and the best deal, but the way he dropped off in the second half of 2018 was not good. He may have had personal issues and family issues, but there was more to it than that.
I've seen many examples of top players in many sports claiming that the 80-90 minutes on the park at the weekend were the greatest escape from their issues, and players tend to leave their grief on the touchline because playing is a great release from real-life issues. Barba may have dropped his intensity in training because of issues, but in the games you would have thought he was free for a while to express himself and let loose. He did the opposite, which indicates he wasn't interested anymore, mainly because he'd already done enough to get the NRL contract. Maybe I'm being harsh, but that's the impression I got.
No chance of Barba ever returning. The NRL gave him an "Indefinite Ban" in 2019 which is their equivalent of "Sine Die" and the RFL have already stated they will honour that ban.
Fans from as many clubs as you like can get excited about possibly signing Barba, but unless he can get the NRL to rescind his ban then he'll never play top flight RL again.
You don't understand that you support Warrington and that will always be brought against you when you question Saints? Me personally, no, I wouldn't want him back even for a few games. He's burnt his bridges at Saints IMO but absolutely no doubt someone (wink wink) in SL would sign him.
And don't cry about frothy mouthed posturing, you've had an easy ride on here as you generally post sense but if you want to post on a rival(ish) teams board then you have to expect a bit stick from time to time.
We didn't really get a good return from him, 20 great games out of his 34 appearances, wasn't really good defensively when under pressure became lazy and then turned into that "turnstile". From what we know now he isn't the best team player and is easily distracted as history shows. The club did the right thing in signing him because he had points to prove and we got the benefit from it but once the NRL were aware of his good form they were always going to come a knocking.
I think we got a fantastic return on him. In that first 50-60% of the season, he was sensational, pure box office. It got not just the attention of the British RL-supporting public but a lot of those in Aus and some casual watchers. That attention was on Saints as a club, too. We became *the* club in SuperLeague once again.
Most of all, though, he helped usher in the notion that free-flowing Saints as 'the entertainers' were back after a prolonged flirtation with sh*te rugby. We carried that mentality into last season and smashed SL. When we began this season playing a conservative game, look at the reaction from fans.
That isn't to deny the fact his game went off later that season. I agree that his head being back in the NRL (not wanting to get injured?) played a part, but I also think as a team we began to get too predictable. Don't forget that we also recouped a big chunk of what we paid him as a transfer fee (I hope there was no money-back guarantee included!)
Would I have him back now? Absolutely no. It would send out the wrong signal - a player who turned his back on us welcomed with open arms? No thank you. A player who very publicly assaulted his partner? Again, not a chance; too much negative publicity, not to mention to moral considerations. And also, he's not played the game professionally for getting on for 2 years. Especially with him being toward the end of his career and relying on his searing acceleration, I could see him taking an age to get fit and only ever being a shadow of the blockbuster player he was for us for several months.
A sad tale for sure, and I feel most for his partner and kids. But it wasn't our choice that he went back to Aus and the bad influences he has there.
Looks like a future nailed on Catalan signing for me
"The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom." Danny Blanchflower.
Might have been written by a footballer about football - but never a truer word............
Barba was a very special player for a half season, then became a liability. I wouldn’t take him over any of our current squad in positions he could go.
His future does not lie with us. I’m sure wire have plenty of cap space left, otherwise it’s almost a cert. he’s Catalans bound.
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Your on the money with that reason for the form drop, we became one dimensional and his head on defence was always poor.
We were at Magic when he was being courted by numerous clubs, then the whisper we had him, the performance on that weekend, there was a feel good factor that Saints were back at the head of the top table. Them first few games he managed to squeeze in for short range tries, but looked slow, remember him giving up on the Tupou chase back when Robes carried on to the line? Then we nearly got to the GF as he got sharper, he came back from Christmas Down Under early for preseason and when the season started, whoa!
You are also spot on reference fitness it will be next season before he gets up to speed, if ever.
With Justin and him we got our mojo back, for that I will be forever grateful, thanks for the memories Benny, but Coote is a better team player.
He was 10 times the player that Sandow was, although probably a bigger gobshite too, saying that, everytime I, and mates of mine met him he was absolutely spot on but as the thread pinned at the top of the board points out it's not always what you actually see, it's what's lurking underneath. Anyway, I'm going out with a wire bird on Sunday, if she's overweight or has BO which I expect, what's a decent taxi number to get me out of there quickly?