Fairytales are as rare in rugby league as meaningless field goals, Dave Tyrell tries and New South Wales State of Origin series wins. They don’t come often and if they do, they seldom last long.
After 50 long years of waiting for that maiden title, the Cronulla Sharks have found themselves just a month later embroiled in another controversy. Star fullback Ben Barba has been released from the club after testing positive for cocaine so he can “address some significant personal issues”.
Barba’s 2016 season was seemingly one of redemption. After winning the 2012 Dally M medal, Barba’s career was seemingly on a downward spiral, released from both Canterbury and Brisbane before enduring a painful first season with the Sharks where he started the majority of the season off the bench.
Heading into this year, he was locked in a three-way battle for the fullback position with Valentine Holmes and Jack Bird. He ended it with a premiership, a ninth-placed finish in the Dally M medal and 16 tries, playing in all 27 of the Sharks’ games.
Now his career is again at the crossroads. A second strike for testing positive to an illicit substance means an automatic ban of 12 games. He will be allowed back in the game with the NRL unlikely to prevent a club registering a new contract; what Barba did was break the code of conduct but the crime does not deserve a punishment that permanently excommunicates him from the game.
Finding a new club willing to take Barba and his significant baggage is another matter entirely. It will be a business decision and one that does not come without risks.
Working in his favour is his undoubted talent and the fact the NRL is likely to start any suspension from round one next year. Against him is a long history of off-field trouble and the fact he will miss at least half of the 2017 season, as well as the depth at the fullback position across the league.
Arguably only Canberra, South Sydney and St George Illawarra need help at the No1 position and all have custodians who are more than serviceable, the latter two having internationals, though they would prefer to play Greg Inglis and Josh Dugan respectively elsewhere.
While Cronulla will be devastated to lose such a sublime talent as Barba – and he really was a difference maker in what at times could be a fairly predictable attack – the club can stand tall for how it has handled the matter.
The broom was kept in the cupboard. There was no sweeping this under the rug. The Sharks had long been criticised for being an amateur club in a professional game. For many years they did not even have a chief executive. But after the Asada scandal exposed many failings, there is no doubt they have heeded the necessary lessons.
This Sharks administration will forever be remembered for bringing the club its first title. It should also be credited with lifting the standards to which the club is held and improving the processes with which the organisation operates.
There is no doubt the loss of Barba will significantly dent Cronulla’s hopes of becoming the first team in nearly a quarter of a century to win back-to-back titles. Valentine Holmes is an immense talent with a bright future. But like Latrell Mitchell at the Roosters, it doesn’t matter how talented a player may be, converting from wing to fullback comes only with time and plenty of hard lessons. Holmes’ game is also markedly different from Barba’s, the latter being far more a finisher than a creator.
Then there is the issue of finding a replacement for Holmes on the wing. Jacob Gagan is the natural replacement but he has not played first grade in two seasons and outside backs with only seven games under their belt by the age of 24 typically don’t have a great deal of upside.
Winning a premiership is difficult. Winning consecutive titles is near-impossible. The Sharks earned their title primarily through two key elements: continuity of team and solidarity of culture. The release of Barba – combined with the retirement of Michael Ennis – means half of the spine will need to be replaced for the Sharks’ title defence. The protective nature with which players cared for Barba in 2016 was a significant cultural driver at the club.
While there is pain in losing Barba, Cronulla have made the right decision in granting Barba’s release. They are the premiers. And they stand for something.
For Barba, the hurt is no doubt more acute. His Sharks story has no happy ending. His future is again in limbo. His demons have again bested him. The game should not turn its back on him though. Rugby league has always been a game of opportunity and Barba is not undeserving of another chance.
