Ben Barba picked at five-eighth for Indigenous All Stars 0:43
Ben Barba will get his first chance to prove Wayne Bennett wrong in next month's All Stars game. Just a few months after Bennett cut Barba at the Broncos, the unwanted fullback will play at five-eighth for the Indigenous team against the NRL All Stars.
- Fox Sports
- 19 Jan 2015
- Sport/NRL
Ben Barba during his first training session with the Cronulla Sharks. Source: News Corp Australia
WAYNE Bennett has urged Ben Barba to let go of Broncos grudges if he wants to recapture his form.
The Cronulla recruit’s first game of the year will be against Bennett who two months ago told the Dally M Medal winner there was no room for him at Brisbane.
On February 13 Barba will line up for the indigenous All Stars against the Bennett-coached NRL All Stars at Robina.
Barba has vowed to use his Broncos snub as motivation for a return to form but Bennett quipped, “He will probably wear himself out proving a point all year”.
“If you want to keep carrying your baggage with you it is going to be a long journey,” the master coach said.
“We have all moved on.’’
Jayson Bukuya and Ben Barba share a laugh at Cronulla Sharks training. Source: News Corp Australia
Bennett’s poignant advice came as Barba’s Cronulla teammate Michael Ennis revealed the out-of -form back has slimmed down from his Brisbane weight, which caused his pace to slow significantly during an inconsistent season.
Barba will also be given a licence to roam at Cronulla and Ennis said he would not have the burden of organising a backline.
Setting team structure was another weight Barba had to carry at the Broncos under Anthony Griffin and he struggled with the responsibility.
Barba was shocked when Bennett told him in November that he was not in his plans for Round 1 this season.
Bennett wanted Darius Boyd to be their fullback and felt Barba was not suited to an interchange utility role as it would require him to defend at hooker.
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NRL All Stars coach Wayne Bennett has brushed aside talk of player burnout, backing the pre-season schedule.
- Fox Sports
- 19 Jan 2015
- Sport/NRL
Barba has since said on multiple occasions he would use the axing as fuel to reclaim his status as a game-breaker while delivering minor sledges to his old team.
“It’s like that with any old team, I’ve got two old teams now,” Barba said of retribution.
“I didn’t fit in to the way they play their footy. Compared to what I did at the Dogs to them, it was two completely different teams.
“I’m happy the Sharks know what I’m capable of.”
Ennis, who was in Brisbane to launch the NRL All Stars alongside Bennett, Wendell Sailor and another moved-on Bronco Josh Hoffman, said the Sharks were rallying around Barba.
He has already dropped down from the 92kg he carried at the Broncos, six kilograms heavier than his weight during the 2012 Dally M Medal winning season.
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The NRL All Stars squad for 2015 has been unveiled with Beau Scott the surprise selection as captain.
- Fox Sports
- 19 Jan 2015
- Sport/NRL
“He’s a good kid mate. He’s enjoying being tucked away in Cronulla,” Ennis, who starred alongside Barba at Canterbury, said.
“When he got to Cronulla they wanted him at a different weight than he was.
“Ben adapts well to that. I know he put a lot of effort into putting muscle on in order to defend in the forward line (at Brisbane) but Cronulla see a different path for him and now he’s running very hard to get to that weight they want him at.
“It is good to be back around him.
“Ben just needs guys around him that can steer a footy team around and allow him to play with his natural instincts.”
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