Barba aims to leave on high note
RUGBY LEAGUE: Ben Barba is hoping to leave an indelible mark at St Helens as he prepares to call time on his brief spell in the English Super League.
The 29-year-old fullback, one of seven Saints named in the 2018 Super League Dream Team, has scored the most tries in the competition, 28, and made the three-man short list for the Man of Steel Award.
“It’s been wonderful and it would be a good memory if we could go out on top in a couple of weeks,” Barba, the 2012 Dally M medallist, said at the Dream Team unveiling at Manchester’s Old Trafford, the venue for Saturday week’s grand final.
“I told myself when I first got there that I wasn’t going to just to be one of them guys that came and did his business and was gone. I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to leave my mark.”
The former Brisbane and Cronulla favourite has signed a 12-month deal with the Cowboys and is determined to perform at the highest level.
“It’s a risk for myself going back there,” he said.
“In a year I could find myself on the scrap heap. It’s given me a drive to really prove to myself and hopefully perform like I’ve done over here.
“I guess the ball is then in my court at the end of next year and I can go wherever I want. I’m getting towards the end of my career now so I’ve got to make the best decisions for my family.
“As for coming back (to England), we’ve spoken about that and I guess when the time comes I’ll have to make the decision with my family again.”
Barba, who still had a year left on his Saints contract, said his decision to leave was purely down to being homesick after the death of his grandmother earlier this year.