Barba a target but no deal yet

COWBOYS coach Paul Green has confirmed the club’s interest in Ben Barba, but was bullish when asked if a deal had already been done to bring the 2012 Dally M champion to North Queensland.

As revealed on Thursday, Barba’s management has been in discussions with the Cowboys to bring the 29- year- old back to the NRL after a stint with English Super League club St Helens.

The Cowboys are yet to lock down a fullback for next season, with premiership winner Lachlan Coote to be moved on and prime target Valentine Holmes still contracted at Cronulla for 2019.

Green would not reveal if Barba has already agreed to terms with the Cowboys, only saying that he would be a strong option to fill the No. 1 jersey for next season.

“Fullback is a position that we’re looking at so we’re looking at a number of different options there,” Green said. “Conversations happen all the time with several different people and we’ve got to look at trying to get the best option for us.

“I think he’s had a pretty good year in the Super League so you can only go on that and he’s done everything asked of him over there.

“Ben’s obviously a great player so if we could work something out there it would be good, but as I said it’s a position we need to look at.”

Barba won a premiership with the Sharks in 2016, but he was slapped with a 12- match ban by the NRL for a cocaine offence during the off- season, which led to a stint in French rugby before St Helens.

The Mackay product has set the Super League alight, scoring 29 tries in 29 games, and would add some much- needed spark to a Cowboys side that only narrowly avoided the wooden spoon.

He is unlikely to face any registration obstacles from NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and Green was confident Barba would buy into the Cowboys’ culture.

“I think we’ve got a pretty strong group up here … I think anyone that pulls on the jersey’s got to buy into our culture and I’m sure he will if we get to that point,” Green said.

Meanwhile, Te Maire Martin will be a certain starter at fiveeighth against the Titans tonight after overcoming the ankle injury that kept him out of last weekend’s win over Parramatta.

Martin has spent time at fullback in recent weeks, but Green said Ben Hampton deserved to keep his spot after scoring two tries in the 44- 6 thumping of the Eels.

“It’s a position where we haven’t really nailed down this year so he should take confidence from that,” Green said.