- Mar 5, 2008
- 9,586
- 8,889
[Confirmed] Ben Barba signs with Cronulla
- Thread starter Big Pete
- Start date
Danoz Direct
NRL Captain
- Oct 12, 2013
- 3,800
- 1,285
mitch222
State of Origin Captain
- Apr 4, 2014
- 8,703
- 8,744
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Do we really want to wait 5 years between god like seasons for one player?
I would prefer we sign a player who will play consistently good for 5 years than a player who has an absolute pearler one year and rubbish the next 4
Do we really want to wait 5 years between god like seasons for one player?
I would prefer we sign a player who will play consistently good for 5 years than a player who has an absolute pearler one year and rubbish the next 4
Danoz Direct
NRL Captain
- Oct 12, 2013
- 3,800
- 1,285
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
But maybe Bennett can get him back to his best, we will never know until we try.
But maybe Bennett can get him back to his best, we will never know until we try.
broncos4life
International Captain
- Oct 5, 2011
- 26,477
- 27,135
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
If Bennett is trying to get rid of him, or at least not play him in the spine then obviously Bennett doesn't think he can get the best out of him. So all this talk of we need to give him time for bennett to work his magic is kind of redundant
If Bennett is trying to get rid of him, or at least not play him in the spine then obviously Bennett doesn't think he can get the best out of him. So all this talk of we need to give him time for bennett to work his magic is kind of redundant
FaithinHook
NRL Player
- Jun 4, 2013
- 1,994
- 2,052
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Austy ya little p*sser good to hear from ya fulla! Hope married life is treating ya well and that you were able to get those grass stains outta yer wedding suit pants!
Agree with ya about Benny too mate, hope he sticks around.
Austy ya little p*sser good to hear from ya fulla! Hope married life is treating ya well and that you were able to get those grass stains outta yer wedding suit pants!
Agree with ya about Benny too mate, hope he sticks around.
austin71
NRL Player
- Apr 21, 2013
- 1,325
- 368
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Cheers mate. Got married on Saturday. Was an awesome day. The last great day I had like that was in Sydney 2006 watching our last premiership beating the Storm. Hopefully there is another just around the corner... Premiership not marriage lol
Cheers mate. Got married on Saturday. Was an awesome day. The last great day I had like that was in Sydney 2006 watching our last premiership beating the Storm. Hopefully there is another just around the corner... Premiership not marriage lol
Russell Coight
QCup Player
- Jul 10, 2013
- 968
- 281
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
And barba isn't depressed and troubled... it was the reason he came here. At least Boyd shows consistency, but you wouldn't see that would you champ.
And barba isn't depressed and troubled... it was the reason he came here. At least Boyd shows consistency, but you wouldn't see that would you champ.
Bucking Beads
International Captain
- Mar 5, 2008
- 24,546
- 7,827
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Barba is all but gone. No room for him at the club. He will end up in Q cup unless we get injuries imo.
Barba is all but gone. No room for him at the club. He will end up in Q cup unless we get injuries imo.
_wwong
International Captain
- May 27, 2013
- 23,670
- 22,502
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
What if barba had a blinder this season? Would he still be on the outer? To me he seems to be a victim of griffin ball and a guy of his potential and talent deserves another chance to prove his worth. I just know if he left he'd come back to Suncorp and carve us up. I hope Boyd decides to stay with Newcastle so barba can start preparing to be our fullback
What if barba had a blinder this season? Would he still be on the outer? To me he seems to be a victim of griffin ball and a guy of his potential and talent deserves another chance to prove his worth. I just know if he left he'd come back to Suncorp and carve us up. I hope Boyd decides to stay with Newcastle so barba can start preparing to be our fullback
_wwong
International Captain
- May 27, 2013
- 23,670
- 22,502
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
What if barba had a blinder this season? Would he still be on the outer? To me he seems to be a victim of griffin ball and a guy of his potential and talent deserves another chance to prove his worth. I just know if he left he'd come back to Suncorp and carve us up. I hope Boyd decides to stay with Newcastle so barba can start preparing to be our fullback
What if barba had a blinder this season? Would he still be on the outer? To me he seems to be a victim of griffin ball and a guy of his potential and talent deserves another chance to prove his worth. I just know if he left he'd come back to Suncorp and carve us up. I hope Boyd decides to stay with Newcastle so barba can start preparing to be our fullback
- Mar 4, 2008
- 34,778
- 41,477
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Hell has frozen over, i actually like one of your posts. I never thought that would happen. :tongue:
Hell has frozen over, i actually like one of your posts. I never thought that would happen. :tongue:
Big Pete
International Captain
- Mar 12, 2008
- 32,140
- 25,819
- Thread starter
- #68
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Just my thoughts on the subject.
When the club signed Ben Barba, we were in dire straights.
All that promise we showed in 2011 had come to naught and it was time to look at our options and import other talent.
Enter Ben Barba. In 2012, Barba had one of the best seasons of any fullback in the history of the game and was dangerous everywhere on the park. He was a perfect fit at the time but the question was whether or not the Ben and the Broncos could work through the baggage and how long it would take.
The answer appears to be more than one season.
Watching Ben play in 2014 was deflating. While he had his moments, it was pretty clear that he was a shadow of his former self and really lacked the speed and confidence that made him so majestic in 2012.
It didn't help either that he was basically forced into a playmaking role to compensate for the club's lack of playmaking halves. While Ben has a few qualities in his game that lend themselves to creating opportunities - Ben was the master of executing them and this emphasis really hurt the quality of his contribution.
Personally speaking, I was pretty critical of Ben's season. At first, I was willing to bide my time and accept the old hiccup but as the season wore on and Ben remained stagnant I felt I had to express that opinion more and more. It seemed like a lot of users here were caught up in discussing the obvious elephant in the room, that being Josh Hoffman at five eighth but I thought Barba and others were getting a free-ride despite their poor performances. Thinking back, I still think it would have been cool if at some point Kodi Nikorima was handed his debut at the fullback position just to see how he'd handle it. Under the high ball and defensively he had issues but I believe he would have offered more in offence - heck, I still think he and his brother Jayden should be considered next season.
However, despite having a sub-par season it's disappointing to hear that Ben may not be apart of the plans moving forward. I feel like I just got used to the idea of him playing, plus I much prefer a coach who adapts to the situation and makes the most of it, instead of forcing his own methods on the club. I know that point has some holes in it, but put it this way, I like that Des didn't take Brett Stewart with him to Canterbury and just made the most of the situation there. I'll save my thoughts on Darius for another thread at another time but in short, I feel like he's a good player playing in a position that demands greatness and will leave it at that for the time being.
The point I'm making is that, I'd love to see Ben Barba's story end on a good note and unless there is something we don't know about his ankle, believe he can definitely improve on his past two seasons and give us something we can brag about. Now that's something, how long has it been since you felt like you could beat your chest about the Broncos? Honestly speaking, it's been about 8 years but that's a tangent for another day.
As far as a planned move to Cronulla goes - if Ben can't get a start here, I wouldn't want to see it because it would basically mean he'd have to play five eighth and I don't rate him in that position. I'd much rather see him play for a club like the Raiders, Titans, Knights, Cowboys etc. wherever his services as a fullback could come in handy.
TL;DR - Barba sucked in 2014, but I like his upside and would like to see us give him a chance to do his thing in 2015. If he does leave, would hate to see him go to Cronulla.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
When the club signed Ben Barba, we were in dire straights.
All that promise we showed in 2011 had come to naught and it was time to look at our options and import other talent.
Enter Ben Barba. In 2012, Barba had one of the best seasons of any fullback in the history of the game and was dangerous everywhere on the park. He was a perfect fit at the time but the question was whether or not the Ben and the Broncos could work through the baggage and how long it would take.
The answer appears to be more than one season.
Watching Ben play in 2014 was deflating. While he had his moments, it was pretty clear that he was a shadow of his former self and really lacked the speed and confidence that made him so majestic in 2012.
It didn't help either that he was basically forced into a playmaking role to compensate for the club's lack of playmaking halves. While Ben has a few qualities in his game that lend themselves to creating opportunities - Ben was the master of executing them and this emphasis really hurt the quality of his contribution.
Personally speaking, I was pretty critical of Ben's season. At first, I was willing to bide my time and accept the old hiccup but as the season wore on and Ben remained stagnant I felt I had to express that opinion more and more. It seemed like a lot of users here were caught up in discussing the obvious elephant in the room, that being Josh Hoffman at five eighth but I thought Barba and others were getting a free-ride despite their poor performances. Thinking back, I still think it would have been cool if at some point Kodi Nikorima was handed his debut at the fullback position just to see how he'd handle it. Under the high ball and defensively he had issues but I believe he would have offered more in offence - heck, I still think he and his brother Jayden should be considered next season.
However, despite having a sub-par season it's disappointing to hear that Ben may not be apart of the plans moving forward. I feel like I just got used to the idea of him playing, plus I much prefer a coach who adapts to the situation and makes the most of it, instead of forcing his own methods on the club. I know that point has some holes in it, but put it this way, I like that Des didn't take Brett Stewart with him to Canterbury and just made the most of the situation there. I'll save my thoughts on Darius for another thread at another time but in short, I feel like he's a good player playing in a position that demands greatness and will leave it at that for the time being.
The point I'm making is that, I'd love to see Ben Barba's story end on a good note and unless there is something we don't know about his ankle, believe he can definitely improve on his past two seasons and give us something we can brag about. Now that's something, how long has it been since you felt like you could beat your chest about the Broncos? Honestly speaking, it's been about 8 years but that's a tangent for another day.
As far as a planned move to Cronulla goes - if Ben can't get a start here, I wouldn't want to see it because it would basically mean he'd have to play five eighth and I don't rate him in that position. I'd much rather see him play for a club like the Raiders, Titans, Knights, Cowboys etc. wherever his services as a fullback could come in handy.
TL;DR - Barba sucked in 2014, but I like his upside and would like to see us give him a chance to do his thing in 2015. If he does leave, would hate to see him go to Cronulla.
FaceOfMutiny
QCup Player
- Nov 7, 2013
- 273
- 433
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
I just really want to see a lighter, faster Barba at fullback next year in yellow and maroon. And not have Boyd come to the club. It's time for Darius to stop following Wayne Bennett around. I rate Darius as a player but from Brisbane to St George to Newcastle back to Brisbane is just ridiculous.
I just really want to see a lighter, faster Barba at fullback next year in yellow and maroon. And not have Boyd come to the club. It's time for Darius to stop following Wayne Bennett around. I rate Darius as a player but from Brisbane to St George to Newcastle back to Brisbane is just ridiculous.
- Oct 17, 2013
- 12,840
- 14,848
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
Wasn't "super coach" Des Hasler his coach in 2013 when the downward spiral in his abilities began? Not everything is Hooks fault.
Wasn't "super coach" Des Hasler his coach in 2013 when the downward spiral in his abilities began? Not everything is Hooks fault.
vertigo
State of Origin Rep
- Mar 2, 2010
- 6,332
- 4,455
Re: [RUMOUR] Ben Barba to Cronulla
I want to go to there, that could use a thread.
I could go either way on Barba but if he hangs around and shows the same timidness even though his ankle should be fine by now then by all means facilitate a release to anyone who will take him before that heavily back-ended third year kicks in.
I want to go to there, that could use a thread.
I could go either way on Barba but if he hangs around and shows the same timidness even though his ankle should be fine by now then by all means facilitate a release to anyone who will take him before that heavily back-ended third year kicks in.
