Runaway Barba
Ben walks tall as he repays Hasler belief with medal
BEFORE this season, Ben Barba was considered too small and too dodgy under the high ball to be rugby league’s finest player.
A try-scoring freak, no doubt. But the best in the business? Not yet.
With a new coach in Des Hasler bound for Belmore, rumours swirled about the Bulldogs wanting to sign Brett Stewart or Josh Dugan.
Today, the diminutive Barba stands head and shoulders above the rest of the NRL as a runaway winner of the Dally M Medal at a glittering function at Sydney Town Hall.
Barba finished the home-andaway rounds with 32 votes – six clear of Cowboys veteran Matt Bowen (26) and Storm halfback Cooper Cronk (25).
It is the largest winning margin since Andrew Johns claimed the Dally M Medal by eight points from Bulldogs halfback Brent Sherwin in 2002, when the Knights playmaker was arguably at his peak.
A humbled Barba was a l s o crowned Fullback of the Year, and took the Peter Frilingos Memorial Award for that magical length-ofthe-field try he set up for Josh Morris against the Storm in round 16.
All that remains now for Barba is a premiership, with the finals campaign starting against Manly on Friday night at ANZ Stadium.
Unlike recent years, the result was clear well before the final round. When voting went underground from round 16, Barba was fifth, three votes behind Cronk (19), Bowen and Cowboys captain Thurston (both 17).
Barba took the lead in round 18 with three votes for his dazzling display against Wests Tigers.
By round 22, he had a five-point buffer and his consistent form over the past month sealed his victory.
Souths fullback Greg Inglis’s three-match suspension for a shoulder charge did not cost him the medal. Inglis would have finished fifth overall despite nine votes being deducted because of the suspension.
Under Hasler, many Bulldogs have grown in confidence off the back of a work ethic that hasn’t been evident at Belmore for some years.
As Barba said last week: ‘‘We’re very lucky to have Des at our club. It’s the belief he’s given me. He knew the deficiencies in my game. He knew where and why I struggled with catching and my defence.
‘‘He just said hard work and dedication would get me there.’’