Ben Barba says he would quit rugby league before losing contact with his daughters

[playon]

BULLDOGS discard Ben Barba would quit rugby league rather than lose contact with his two daughters.

In his first interview since it was revealed by The Sunday Telegraph that the former Dally M player was stood down by Canterbury in February for allegedly punching Ainslie Currie, the mother of his children, Barba revealed he was heartbroken when Ms Currie said she was moving to Brisbane.

Barba refused to talk about the alleged assault, his failed counselling sessions or his fallout with Bulldogs players and officials. The NRL investigated an alleged cover-up by Canterbury after revelations that included text messages from Ms Currie and a photo showing her with a bloodied face.

The NRL did not act against the club or Barba, but no one denied the incident occurred.

Barba revealed he left the Bulldogs to be closer to his children and Ms Currie, and that they have since been reunited. The split was the catalyst for Barba seeking a compassionate release from the Bulldogs to prevent him becoming estranged from daughters Bodhi, four, and two-year-old Bronte.

Since his move to Brisbane last month he has begun living with Ms Currie, whom he met as a teenager in Mackay, in the first step towards reconciliation.

The couple are looking at buying a home on Brisbane's northside, but Barba told Brisbane's Sunday Mail he would have put family before football had the Bulldogs refused to let him go.

"If my family wanted me to give up the NRL, I would do it tomorrow," he said. "I couldn't contemplate living in another state from them. I love them so much - they mean everything to me, those two girls.

"I've been lucky enough to come to Brisbane with them and I'm grateful to the Bulldogs for allowing me to be with my family. I'm glad Ainslie didn't go back to Mackay because, if she did, I would have walked away from everything to be by their side. If it meant playing local bush footy, I would have done that.

"We're still working on things. We're back living together so that is the first step towards us reconciling and building our relationship back up for us and the kids."

Barba, 24, recalls the moment Ainslie told him she was moving to Queensland. He was happy at the Bulldogs, and had two years to run on his contract, but the notion of a life without his children pushed him to breaking point.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...th-his-daughters/story-fni0cx12-1226752055670

 

[@nchorman]

bulldogs discard??? we did everything to keep him...ffs...i hate journos

 

[Indiandog]

blah blah... fkn blah!

 

[jimmy_the_greek]

and the oscar goes to!!! *drum roll*

If he can get his life back on track good for him, although contradicting childish messages of payback seem to suggest otherwise. Our club is bigger than him, despite what he thought..and in the long run, will be better off without him, especially in terms of team morale.

 

[playon]

yeah none of us believe his sob story and yeah he'll be the next in a long line of ex players the fans will hate but doesn't mean we should go on twitter & other social media and abuse him.

Just let him be......

 

[playon]

bulldogs discard??? we did everything to keep him...ffs...i hate journos

funny thing is the journo who did this interview wouldn't even put there name to it

STAFF WRITERS THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH NOVEMBER 02, 2013 10:00PM

 

[jimmy_the_greek]

yeah none of us believe his sob story and yeah he'll be the next in a long line of ex players the fans will hate but doesn't mean we should go on twitter & other social media and abuse him.

Just let him be......

so true mate, don't think people should be abusing him on social media either. I don't know why some out there would expect a logical reply from such an 'ultimate professional'.:sleep:

If people don't what to read the crap he puts up (myself included), just unfollow him like plenty of others have done already. Simple.

 

[bcmf]

move to rugby league general.

no longer a bulldog, no longer worth our time.

 

[The DoggFather]

Replace daughters with pokies and alcohol.

 

[Chicharito]

Quitting/walking away is something that he is getting pretty good at.

 

[Bad Billy]

How is he a bulldogs discard ?? And he's "so grateful to the bulldogs" ? #payback ??

 

[CeeEss]

What a pity he wasn't thinking of his daughters when he was out with the EBC or belting people.

 

[Bad Billy]

What a pity he wasn't thinking of his daughters when he was out with the EBC or belting people.

"My daughters are so important to me that, since I've moved to Brisbane, I only snort coke off two strippers a week and only hit Ainslie when she really deserves it !"

 

[dogkat]

The NRL did not act against the club or Barba, but no one denied the incident occurred.

I thought Ainslie denied the incident occurred?

 

[Sandra's Bollocks]

all i see is 3 children in that photo.

 

[Bob dog]

Who cares what he says, he already said that, he can't justify not appreciating what Canterbury has done for him. Ainslie wears the pants and we all know it.

 

[Natboy]

He'll lose contact with them in a few years anyway when they see what type of person their dad is

 

[Dognacious]

You are only as good as your last season and in 2013 barba was a nobody. He added nothing to the side, in fact was a negative influence to the rest of the side and team harmony. He started the season in rehab, and ended it screaming like a girl at a possibly fake ankle injury before half time, after contributing nothing in the match, after we left Inu out to play him. Based on that we lost nobody. Broncos are welcome to him.

 

[Bob dog]

He'll lose contact with them in a few years anyway when they see what type of person their dad is

If he splits up Child support would eat him alive, he would follow her to the moon.

 

[OTTO]

After his veiled stabs on social media, I couldn't care less what happens with him. Not wishing evil sh!t on him, Just don't care either way.