IRRESPONSIBLE and INCORRECT
St Helens chief McManus hits out at Barba leave claims
REPORTS that full-back Ben Barba has requested to leave St Helens early on compassionate grounds are “irresponsible” and “incorrect” according to chairman Eamonn McManus.
The red-hot favourite for this year’s Steve Prescott Man of Steel award has been regularly linked with a return to Australia despite being contracted to Saints until the end of 2019.
McManus issued a statement on the matter in May, but the latest report – which appeared on the official NRL website – claimed Barba’s partner Ainslie Currie is suffering from homesickness.
But McManus said: “Nothing has changed – there’s been no discussion and no approaches.
“Again this has come out of the blue and is just a story that keeps resurrecting itself. We believe Ben’s partner and their children are extremely happy and are really enjoying life over here.
“It is irresponsible to make such a factually incorrect statement.”
Barba’s former employers Cronulla Sharks are the club being linked with a renewed move for him. He left them in the wake of their 2016 Grand Final win having tested positive for cocaine.
But the fact that Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan has unequivocally stated his own star player Valentine Holmes will not leave while still under contract is an irony not lost on Saints officials.
Barba, who served the 12-match ban he was handed for the out-of-competition positive drugs test when he first joined Saints, has helped Justin Holbrook’s men pull six points clear at the top of Super League and make the Challenge Cup semifinals.