#7 Ben Barba
Well until a couple of days ago I didn't have the slightest clue that when I came to Ben Barba in the countdown I'd be talking about a guy who was being stood down. There's already enough coverage of the Barba situation, so I won't dwell on it any further, this countdown is about the best footy players, so I'll focus on why Ben deserves his spot here at number 7. Of course, anyone who pays any attention to League probably knows the case when it comes to Barba's 2012 season. The 23 year old took the world by storm, and was the clear cut most lethal weapon in the competition, putting together one of the all time great seasons. His illustrious season capped off by winning Dally M Fullback of the Year, Dally M Player of the Year, the Peter Frilingos Memorial award, the Provan Summons Medal, RLPA Player of the Year, RLW Player of the Year. After every Bulldogs game, I simply couldn't wait until the following week when I'd get to see Barba in action again, he was an excitement machine. Watching Barba was edge of your seat stuff, he was more likely than not going to deliver something jaw dropping. He did it all with a contagious smile and enthusiasm for the game, which makes the news of his personal issues so much worse to here, this guy looked happier than a kid on Christmas on the footy field. There's very few athletes who I've considered such a joy to watch as Ben Barba.
The human highlight reel
Unsurprisingly, Barba's magical 2012 season saw him amass some of the NRLs best statistics, all of which emphasise the incredible attacking threat that he is. 22 tries the most in the competition, 24 line breaks, 3009 metres, 159 tackle busts, 31 offloads, 22 try assists. While leading the competition in tries is obviously a big stand out, the real story of how lethal Barba is comes in his line breaks and tackle busts stats. He was 3rd in the NRL in line breaks and 2nd in tackle busts just 3 behind Greg Inglis. Of course we expect the hulking Inglis to bust through tackles, but Barba is one of the smaller blokes in the competition at 174cm and 90kg. The next guys on the list were Bowen and Brett Morris with 117, 42 tackle busts behind Barba. Lightning quick off the mark, Barba is one of the most fast and agile players in the competition. and this helps when it comes to breaking out of tackles. He's incredibly slippery, many of his huge runs aren't just clean runs through the gap, he's dancing around defenders, slipping out of their grasp, throwing in a fend, kicking a leg free to get away. At times he just can not be tackled, no matter how hard you try, he is too slippery, too fast, it's like trying to catch an angry cat. Once he makes the line break or slips out of a tackle, it's a scramble on defense to try to shut him down, and that's when Barba is at his best, in the loose field with people trying to chase him down and getting to unleash his steps and spins and speed to buy himself time until he finds where he wants to go, and then he's gone. His 22 assists were only 1 less than Thurston, more than the likes of Adam Reynolds, James Maloney, Todd Carney. His assists don't often come in the traditional way those halves mentioned accumulate them, instead they come from Barba making one of his many breaks, and sending whoever is fast enough to keep up with him, often Josh Morris, home with an easy try after he has drawn in the fullback. He tears opposing defenses to pieces, there is no game plan to stop him, he will get through eventually.
A valiant pursuit from Sandow
While Barba is known for his incredible attacking exploits, he's also come along way in other aspects of his game in his meteoric rise to the top. Questions earlier in his career of his ability under the high ball were silenced in 2012 as Barba managed to swallow the pill regularly when opponents would put one up to test him. A lot of that reliability under the high ball comes with confidence, and Barba oozed confidence in 2012. Barba has also developed a fantastic knack for stopping tries, or should I say "saving" tries. On multiple occasions in 2012 Barba robbed would be attackers on tries that would usually be a run of the mill finish. His pace goes a long way in this regard, he can reel in players that most in the competition can't, but once he catches you, he has an uncanny ability to get his body in the right position, and this is often happening at high speed chasing the attacker down, to either dislodge the ball or get himself underneath it. If you subscribe to the theory that saving a try is just as good as scoring one, well Barba may well be the best in the competition when it comes to not only scoring tries but stopping them also. Add on the tries he makes for other guys while you are at it and he's just an outright freak. Nicknamed "X-Factor" there couldn't be a more perfect way to describe him, he is the X-Factor, he is the difference maker, he is the game-breaker. There's something special surrounding Barba where things work out for him. He has all the skill in the world, and it all seems to be accompanied by some sort of magic touch or magic aura that Barba brings with him. Things just come off for him that others couldn't dream of trying to pull off, the ball bounces perfectly for him, kicks are always weighted perfectly for him, everything just clicks.
Barba says no
Barba has so far torched the NRL for 62 tries in his 80 games, a strike rate of 77%. He's already reached the highest of highs as far as individual NRL performances go, few players in the history of the game have or will replicate the type of year he had in 2012. The questions of Ben Barba now, when he is ready to return to the game, will be based around firstly if he can find his game again after his time away. People already questioned whether Barba could replicate his 2012 form in 2013, a fair question as maintaining such a high level of play would be incredibly difficult, Barba went out and delivered an ominous response in the 2013 All Star game by scoring a hat trick. But now with the extended stint away from the field, time will tell if and when Barba can get back to his magical best. Once he gets back to the top of his game, the questions will revolve around Barba as a possible representative player. Despite a season for the ages, Barba could not earn selection in the Queensland State of Origin side and has yet to turn out for the Maroons or Australia. This isn't a negative reflection of Barba's ability at all, but the reality of being from the same state and country as a player many regard as the best fullback in history in Billy Slater. Spots do not tend to open up on the Queensland team unless injuries or retirement dictate it, and no matter how well Barba may play, the likelihood of anyone taking Slater's number 1 jersey is very slim indeed. Like so many young Queensland players over the years, he will have to continue to bide his time and remain patient until somehow he slips into the team either as a spark plug off the bench or getting an opportunity through injuries. This is what for now separates Barba from the players to follow in the countdown, he was the best player in the NRL in 2012 without a doubt, but the players to follow have a longer list of credentials, NRL Premiership wins and stacks of representative appearances. But Barba is only 23, and he has a long time left to start stamping his mark in the representative arenas, to begin making his argument for being not only one of the best players in the NRL, but one of the best to ever play Rugby League.
Barba fired his warning shots for 2013 in great fashion
The loss of Barba, even if only temporary, is a big loss for all Rugby League fans, the NRL is a much more exciting competition with him on the scene. I eagerly await Barba's return, but hope he takes the time to resolve the issues that he has, there are more important things in life than League. Until he returns, he's already left us with more highlights over a few seasons than most have in their entire careers. Waking up tomorrow we'll be looking at only 6 sleeps remaining, less than a week. Thursday next week, if you're like me, you'll be enjoying some Thursday Nighty Footy! as always, feel free to contact me on Twitter if you have any comments or suggestions @WellsNorthShore
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