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Barba's return set to have Valentine looking for new Holmes

Roar Rookie
19th January, 2017
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Ben Barba, in happier times. (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
Roar Rookie
19th January, 2017
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1635 Reads

The Sharks’ decision to re-sign embattled fullback Ben Barba could do more harm than good for their squad in 2017.

It’s hard to imagine that bringing back a player who was pivotal in delivering the club their maiden premiership would be a bad decision, but consider the circumstances and timing of Barba’s return.

Valentine Holmes is set to start the season in the No.1 jersey, which he has made public is his preference.

Given Holmes is entering the final year of his contract, you can be certain he’ll be out to prove that not only is he an accomplished fullback, but that he is the best man for the job.

Every man and his dog knows about Holmes’ NFL trials and his interest in pursuing greener pastures elsewhere, which is why Cronulla’s decision to bring back Barba is all the more puzzling.

Sending a cryptic message to a soon-to-be free agent doesn’t seem the appropriate path to be taking. The club is essentially telling Holmes, “We’ll play you in your preferred position, but only until we get Benny back, and then we’ll shift you around to best suit our needs.”

While the club should always come first, their priority should surely be to retain the services of one of the best young backs in the competition.

If he has a blistering start to the season at fullback and is then forced to shift back to the wing in order to compensate for Barba’s return, you can be certain Holmes will look to take his talents elsewhere – be it within the NRL or abroad.

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The fact the Sharks were even willing to welcome Barba back after bringing the game into disrepute is strange in itself, but to do so at the risk of losing one of your best young players is mind-boggling.

It’s not as though they are short of talent across the backline – in fact, losing Barba and spending that money on James Segeyaro instead would make much more sense in the long run.

And while there’s every chance they will lure Segeyaro back from the Super League, it’ll force them to dig deeper into their pockets than necessary.

There’s also the fact that Cronulla are sending the message to the rest of your players, and any potential free agents in the future, that breaking the law will be forgiven so long as you’re willing to serve your suspension.

While the NRL is yet to rubber-stamp his return, Barba’s imminent arrival in the Shire should be met with more caution than optimism.

For the sake of Sharks fans, let’s hope it doesn’t result in losing one of the game’s great up-and-comers at the expense of a man who has already had one too many chances.

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