Four years on from the best individual season performance of any player in the NRL, Ben Barba is spearheading Cronulla into premiership contention.
After two sluggish seasons at the Broncos (2014) and Sharks (2015), Barba has found form in 2016, and is looking more and more like his best every game.
Is Barba back to his old self?
The easy answer is no. In 2012 he tore up oppositions at the Bulldogs, scoring 22 tries in 27 games.
He picked up a number of accolades that year, including the Dally M player and fullback of the year, the Rugby League Week and Rugby League Players Association player of the year, the Peter Frilingos Memorial Award, and the Provan-Summons Medal.
His ability to score from virtually anywhere and always look like he was going to do something special made him a threat from kick returns and close to the line.
Fast forward to 2016 and while it’s ridiculous to say he’s as good as he was, because he was brilliant, he is well on his way.
So far this season he has scored nine tries and set up a further seven, has broken 50 tackles, made eight line breaks, and run for over 1300 metres, averaging 100 metres a game.
Another statistic that you might find interesting, in 2012 his team had a win percentage of 74.07 per cent, and so far in 2016 the Sharks are winning 84.62 per cent of games.
Cronulla are currently on a hot run of ten straight wins, and look set for a top eight, maybe even top-four finish if they can keep up their form.
Barba hasn’t been the sole provider for the Sharks, with other guys having stellar seasons as well, but the fullback makes them look so much better with his support runs, and they give him good service to do what he does best.
It’s hard to compare him to what he used to be, but is he re-finding his Dally M form?
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