Ben Barba
Encyclopedia
Ben Barba was born in Darwin, Northern Territory
, is an Australian professional rugby league
footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League
and is a utility back.
In September, 2008, Barba was named in the 2008 Toyota Cup Team of the Year. The previous season, playing for the Bulldogs in the Jersey Flegg
competition, Barba scored 130 points in 11 games. In 2009, Barba was an integral member of the Bankstown City Bulls
team that won the New South Wales Cup.
Barba made his NRL debut for the Bulldogs on 28 July 2008, against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, scoring one try. At the time he was called up to first-grade, Barba was working at a car wash. It was announced on July 20th 2011 that Barba had signed to the Bulldogs until the end of the 2015 season.
Barba has been in impressive form during the 2011 season and has scored 16 tries from 21 games this year(2011). Barba's form has been so impressive it earned him a selection into the 25 man Queensland state of origin squad, however Barba did not make his origin debut.
in the Northern Territory to Mackay
in Queensland. During his time in Queensland he played all of his Junior Rugby League for the Norths Devils Mackay Club in the North of Queensland. During his long time at the Devils he played magic Football and was one of the most talented young players in North Queensland and one of the best players the Norths Devils Club have ever produced. His Talent and excellence in Mackay eventually caught the attention of National Rugby League Club the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. Ben is from Papua New Guinea
at Suncorp Stadium
. At the end of 2008 he played 4 Games and scored 1 Try.
. After this incident Ben got dropped to Reserve Grade. Ben played many Games in Reserve Grade scoring many tries. Ben finally returned to First Grade In Round 18 against the New Zealand Warriors
at Mount Smart Stadium over in Auckland
, New Zealand
. That game was a memorable one for Ben and for the Club. The Bulldogs were down 14-12 with a couple of minutes to go, then the Dogs made a break and Ben received a pass of Ben Roberts
then stepped and dived over for the winning Try. Canterbury won the game 18-14. Ben eventually played the rest of the 2009 season in Reserve Grade. He played in Canterbury's 2009 Reserve Grade Grand Final and Premiership win over the Balmain Ryde Eastwood 32-0 where he had a Magic game where he scored a Hat Trick 3 Tries. At the end of 2009 he played only 4 Games and scoring 1 Try like 2008.
coming on as a substitute. The next week he scored his first Try of the season in the Bulldogs 26-6 loss against that year's Premiers St. George Illawara Dragons at the Wollongong Showground. The next week Ben came on as a Substitute and scored a Hat Trick 3 Tries in Canterbury's charging 60-14 massacre over the Sydney Roosters
at ANZ Stadium. After that match Ben was given the Tag " The X-Factor " and became a regular First Grader. Canterbury didn't have a good season but Ben had a great individual season scoring many Tries. In Round 7 he scored a great Try aainst the Brisbane Broncos
at ANZ Stadium where Canterbury won 36-18. In Round 15 Ben came on as a substitute, he scored 2 Tries and almost won Canterbury the game in their 25-24 loss to the Gold Coast Titans
at Suncorp Stadium
. In Round 17 he again scored 2 Tries in Canterbury's 24-12 win over the Cronulla Sharks
at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford. In Round 26 Barba started for the first time since joining the club where he scored his 15th Try of the season, a brilliant long run to score in Canterbury's 30-24 win over Manly
at Brookvale Oval
. At the end of 2010 he played 21 Games scoring 15 Tries.
where he scored his first ever representative try in that match where they lost to the NRL All Stars] 28-12. With the departure of former Canterbury and NSW Country fullback Luke Patten to English club The Salford City Reds, Ben became the Bulldogs new fullback. Ben played well in Canterbury's 24-14 win over the Wests Tigers
in Round 1. Ben scored his first 2 tries of the season in Round 3 in Canterbury's 24-20 win over Eastern Suburbs at ANZ Stadium. In Round 6 Ben scored another Hat Trick 3 Tries in their 34-14 win over Great Rivals the Parramatta Eels
at ANZ Stadium. The next week in Round 7 he scored 2 tries in Canterbury's 36-24 win over South Sydney at ANZ Stadium. The 2 Tries he scored that night he dedicated those tries to his new born child. In Round 13 he scored 1 try in Canterbury's heavy 38-4 loss to Manly
. In Round 16 he scored 1 Try in Canterbury's 16-6 win over the Wests Tigers
at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. In Round 21 he scored his 15th Try of the season, a length of the field Try in Canterbury's 32-28 loss to the Sydney Roosters
at the Sydney Football Stadium. He went on to bag a further 8 tries 4 coming in the final round against the Raiders
, and a beauty of a try finish against the nights in round 25. Ben Barba scored a total of 23 tries this year to finish equal top try scorer with
Nathan Merritt. Barba is tipped to be a big star for Queensland in the 2012 NRL season
.
,
they were both disciplined and dropped to second grade, now they are both the best of friends.
Ben's brother Marmin was diagnosed with cancer he has since recovered and is said to be as good as Ben he is at the moment in the Paramatta Eels Toyota cup squad.
Ben has two children with his girlfriend Ainslie.
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, is an Australian professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and is a utility back.
In September, 2008, Barba was named in the 2008 Toyota Cup Team of the Year. The previous season, playing for the Bulldogs in the Jersey Flegg
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup was a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged under 20. The competition was administered by the New South Wales Rugby League and run concurrently with the National Rugby League...
competition, Barba scored 130 points in 11 games. In 2009, Barba was an integral member of the Bankstown City Bulls
Sydney Bulls
The Sydney Bulls are a rugby league team based in the suburb of Bass Hill in Sydney's South-Western Suburbs. Founded in 1999, the club was formed by Lebanese-Australian players and businessmen who were involved in the 1997 Lebanon Rugby League World Sevens side...
team that won the New South Wales Cup.
Barba made his NRL debut for the Bulldogs on 28 July 2008, against the St. George Illawarra Dragons, scoring one try. At the time he was called up to first-grade, Barba was working at a car wash. It was announced on July 20th 2011 that Barba had signed to the Bulldogs until the end of the 2015 season.
Barba has been in impressive form during the 2011 season and has scored 16 tries from 21 games this year(2011). Barba's form has been so impressive it earned him a selection into the 25 man Queensland state of origin squad, however Barba did not make his origin debut.
Early Career
At a young age Ben and his family moved from DarwinDarwin
Darwin may refer to:* Charles Darwin , English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection* Darwin, Northern Territory, a capital city in Australia- People:...
in the Northern Territory to Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
in Queensland. During his time in Queensland he played all of his Junior Rugby League for the Norths Devils Mackay Club in the North of Queensland. During his long time at the Devils he played magic Football and was one of the most talented young players in North Queensland and one of the best players the Norths Devils Club have ever produced. His Talent and excellence in Mackay eventually caught the attention of National Rugby League Club the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. Ben is from Papua New Guinea
2007-2008
He signed with the Bulldogs in 2007. Ben joined the Bulldogs in the middle of the 2007 season. At his first season at Belmore he didn't play First Grade, he played the remainder of the 2007 season in the Under 21's where he had a good first season scoring a lot of tries. In his second season at the Bulldogs in 2008 he played most of the season in the Under 20's where he was playing magic Rugby League. Ben was scoring tries left, right and centre. He scored in nearly every game. His Sensational performances, try scoring ability and attacking flair caught the eye of the Canterbury Bankstown Supporters. All the supporters strongly believed that he will be a future star and fan favourite and he should be put into the First Grade side and he would be able to help them win some games and avoid the wooden spoon. But Canterbury Coach, former Club player and Australian International Steve Folkes stated that Ben was still too young and it would be a couple of Years till he would become a First Grader. As the season went on Canterbury kept on losing games and were possibly going to cop the Wooden Spoon and the fans kept on urging that Ben be put into First Grade. Ben Finally made his First Grade Debut For Canterbury in Round 20 of 2008 where they were Heavily beaten by the St. George Illawarra Dragons 30-0 at ANZ Stadium. Ben scored his first ever First Grade try for the club in Round 22 in their 36-12 loss to the North Queensland CowboysNorth Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
. At the end of 2008 he played 4 Games and scored 1 Try.
2009
Ben started the 2009 season in First Grade under new Coach, former Canterbury player and the son of former Great and famous CEO Peter " Bullfrog " Moore, Kevin Moore. He came on as a substitute in Round 1 in Canterbury's 34-12 win over the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. That game was the game that Former NSW City, NSW State of Origin player and Former Lebanese and Australian International and Club Great Hazem El Masri became Australian Rugby League's top Point Scorer. Ben played the next couple of games in First Grade coming on as a Substitute and then got into an incident with Canterbury Team Mate Jamal IdrisJamal Idris
Jamal Dasuki Idris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League. He previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. A New South Wales State Of Origin representative, he has also played for the Indigenous Australian...
. After this incident Ben got dropped to Reserve Grade. Ben played many Games in Reserve Grade scoring many tries. Ben finally returned to First Grade In Round 18 against the New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
at Mount Smart Stadium over in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. That game was a memorable one for Ben and for the Club. The Bulldogs were down 14-12 with a couple of minutes to go, then the Dogs made a break and Ben received a pass of Ben Roberts
Ben Roberts
Benjamin Roberts is a British professional poker player based in London.-Poker career:Roberts began playing poker in the mid 1970s, and claims to have won every year....
then stepped and dived over for the winning Try. Canterbury won the game 18-14. Ben eventually played the rest of the 2009 season in Reserve Grade. He played in Canterbury's 2009 Reserve Grade Grand Final and Premiership win over the Balmain Ryde Eastwood 32-0 where he had a Magic game where he scored a Hat Trick 3 Tries. At the end of 2009 he played only 4 Games and scoring 1 Try like 2008.
2010
Ben started the new decade, season 2010 in First Grade. He played in Round 1 in Canterbury's 20-16 loss against the Newcastle KnightsNewcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
coming on as a substitute. The next week he scored his first Try of the season in the Bulldogs 26-6 loss against that year's Premiers St. George Illawara Dragons at the Wollongong Showground. The next week Ben came on as a Substitute and scored a Hat Trick 3 Tries in Canterbury's charging 60-14 massacre over the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
at ANZ Stadium. After that match Ben was given the Tag " The X-Factor " and became a regular First Grader. Canterbury didn't have a good season but Ben had a great individual season scoring many Tries. In Round 7 he scored a great Try aainst the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
at ANZ Stadium where Canterbury won 36-18. In Round 15 Ben came on as a substitute, he scored 2 Tries and almost won Canterbury the game in their 25-24 loss to the Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
. In Round 17 he again scored 2 Tries in Canterbury's 24-12 win over the Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford. In Round 26 Barba started for the first time since joining the club where he scored his 15th Try of the season, a brilliant long run to score in Canterbury's 30-24 win over Manly
Manly
Manly is an adjective corresponding to manhood or masculinity.Manly may also refer to:-Places:* Manly, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney** Manly Council, a local government area in Sydney...
at Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Warringah Council and is primarily used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team...
. At the end of 2010 he played 21 Games scoring 15 Tries.
2011
At the beginning of 2011 Ben made his representative debut for the Indigenous All Stars in the 2011 All Stars Match2011 All Stars match
The 2011 All Stars Match was the second of the annual representative exhibition match played between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars which was held on the 12 of February 2011 at the Gold Coast's Skilled Park. The game was won by the NRL All Stars 28–12, claiming their first...
where he scored his first ever representative try in that match where they lost to the NRL All Stars] 28-12. With the departure of former Canterbury and NSW Country fullback Luke Patten to English club The Salford City Reds, Ben became the Bulldogs new fullback. Ben played well in Canterbury's 24-14 win over the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
in Round 1. Ben scored his first 2 tries of the season in Round 3 in Canterbury's 24-20 win over Eastern Suburbs at ANZ Stadium. In Round 6 Ben scored another Hat Trick 3 Tries in their 34-14 win over Great Rivals the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
at ANZ Stadium. The next week in Round 7 he scored 2 tries in Canterbury's 36-24 win over South Sydney at ANZ Stadium. The 2 Tries he scored that night he dedicated those tries to his new born child. In Round 13 he scored 1 try in Canterbury's heavy 38-4 loss to Manly
Manly
Manly is an adjective corresponding to manhood or masculinity.Manly may also refer to:-Places:* Manly, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney** Manly Council, a local government area in Sydney...
. In Round 16 he scored 1 Try in Canterbury's 16-6 win over the Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. In Round 21 he scored his 15th Try of the season, a length of the field Try in Canterbury's 32-28 loss to the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
at the Sydney Football Stadium. He went on to bag a further 8 tries 4 coming in the final round against the Raiders
Raiders
Raider may refer to:in Food:* Space Raiders, brand of crisps* the Twix chocolate bar was called Raider in several European countries until the 1990sin sports organizations:...
, and a beauty of a try finish against the nights in round 25. Ben Barba scored a total of 23 tries this year to finish equal top try scorer with
Nathan Merritt. Barba is tipped to be a big star for Queensland in the 2012 NRL season
2012 NRL season
The 2012 NRL season will be the 106th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fifteenth run by the National Rugby League. The NRL will be contested by sixteen teams for the sixth consecutive year...
.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
| Year | Matches | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2010 | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 2011 | 24 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 92 |
| Total | 53 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 160 |
Indigenous All Stars
| Year | Matches | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Personal Life
On the 31st of march 2009 Ben was involved in a parking lot brawl with teammate Jamal IdrisJamal Idris
Jamal Dasuki Idris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League. He previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. A New South Wales State Of Origin representative, he has also played for the Indigenous Australian...
,
they were both disciplined and dropped to second grade, now they are both the best of friends.
Ben's brother Marmin was diagnosed with cancer he has since recovered and is said to be as good as Ben he is at the moment in the Paramatta Eels Toyota cup squad.
Ben has two children with his girlfriend Ainslie.