SHAMED BARBA’S CAREER LOOKS OVER AFTER NRL LIFETIME BAN

BEN BARBA’S rugby league career looks over after he was kicked out of the NRL following his latest off-field shame.

Barba (far right) was caught on a casino’s CCTV in a physical altercation with his long-term partner and mother of his four children Ainslie Currie. His new club North Queensland Cowboys showed him the door without having played a match for them, having switched from St Helens in the close season.

Now NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg (right) has told him to “find a new vocation” after banning him from the competition. With the RFL having confirmed they will uphold any suspension brought against the current Man of Steel, Barba’s options in the 13-man code look to have disappeared.

Greenberg said: “We’ll treat every case on its merits, but where there is violence and against women, it sits at the top of the pile. These decisions affect people’s livelihoods – they’re big moments and you want to make sure you get them right.” Greenberg has been backed by his Super League counterpart Robert Elstone, who said Barba is unlikely to ever feature here again. Elstone said: “We have two duties – one, to stand shoulderto-shoulder with the Cowboys and the NRL, and also we have a duty to our own competition.

“So, it is almost impossible to see a way back for Ben Barba.” ■Rugby player’s three-hour wait for ambulance: see page 20