Ben Barba hopes St Helens fans can chant ‘Barba’s going home’ at Grand Final
Full-back star admits he likes the way supporters have turned taunts on their head since his NRL return was confirmed
BEN Barba hopes St Helens fans cheer him all the way to Australia while he repays the club for giving him a chance after a ‘stupid mistake’ led to a drugs ban.
But he may not be the most missed person once he heads ‘home’ to NRL side North Queensland Cowboys.
To say the full-back’s move was the worst kept secret in rugby league is an understatement. Opposing fans chanted, ‘Barba’s going home,’ for weeks before it was confirmed.
Now Saints supporters have turned the tables by singing it themselves and he hopes to hear it all the way to Grand Final victory.
He also has a more serious reason to triumph. Saints gave him a chance even though he had to serve a 12-match suspension for failing an out of competition NRL drugs test for cocaine in 2016.
“’Barba’s going home’ got a bit tiring at times but I enjoyed it when the Saints fans started singing it,” Barba said.
“Hopefully, now it’s out in the open they can keep on singing it for a couple more games and I can give them something back.
“And I’m thankful to Saints for taking me in with a 12-game ban for a stupid mistake. I’m expecting questions when I get there but I’ve behaved myself and its been a learning curve.
“It’s good to get it out there, so I don’t get asked the question, ‘Are you going home?’ 1,000 times when I walk down the street.”
Barba was always touted for an NRL move but once North Queensland came in, there was only one place he was heading to – Townsville, just three hours from his parents’ home in Mackay.
He would not be surprised if TV cameras are waiting at the airport asking about the incident that saw him leave Cronulla after winning the NRL Grand Final, although he would not be at his most talkative after a 24-hour flight.
But he feels he can set down roots there for once he hangs up his boots.
“I’m getting older now,” the 29-year-old added. “So I have to look at setting up for life after rugby – coaching is a thing I definitely want to get into.
“I’ve only ever known rugby and I rate myself as a bit of a mind reader of the game, it’s something I’ve looked into over here and bits of work over in Australia. Hopefully I can get involved in coaching and help rugby league in north Queensland.
“Now I can answer, ‘Why is Barba going home?’ I grew up three hours’ away and that’s why I jumped at the possibility of going there for a year. It will be the closest I’ve ever been to my family and I’m really looking forward to being able to drive home and catch up with my mum and dad.
“I had two or three options but as soon as North Queensland came up, I pushed for it. I told my manager to push for it and brush the other ones, do whatever you can to get me there.”
Saints may have won the League Leaders’ Shield at a canter but Warrington mean business at Barba’s last game in a town he and his family has grown to love and he does not want to leave on a low.
He said: “The only way I can repay them for all they did is to get us to a Grand Final and win the title but I think people at the club are going to miss my partner and four daughters more than me!”
