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THE Cronulla Sharks have put star fullback Ben Barba on welfare watch after an altercation with a teammate and a row with his heavily pregnant wife.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Barba went on a recent bender and had to be separated from team mate Sosaia Feki after an disagreement in a Cronulla Hotel over a game of cards.
Cronulla officials have denied the altercation was physical but another team mate Wade Graham had to accompany Barba to his home “for his own protection.”
There he argued with his partner Ainslie Currie, who is expecting the couple’s fourth daughter within a week. The couple already have three daughters and are expecting a fourth.
The next day Barba flew home to Mackay and was seen sobbing at the airport as he was about to board the plane.
The incident took place before the Sharks had the weekend off earlier this month for the NRL representative round.
“He broke out on the grog that night and he doesn’t handle grog at all,” said Sharks CEO Lyall Gorman.
“He had a row with his missus but we don’t believe that was physical. We just felt the best place for him was home with his parents for a couple of days.
“We have put a lot of work into him and he has been given a lot of welfare and education support.”
Barba left the Canterbury Bulldogs three years ago after allegations over allegations of domestic violence.
The club viewed the incident so seriously they dispatched a welfare officer to his parent’s home in Mackay on Sunday, May 7 to check on Barba’s state of mind.
Barba has been placed under welfare watch by the Sharks.
He returned home three days later and resumed training with the Sharks.
After a troubled stint in Brisbane, Cronulla officials thought Barba’s dark days were behind him and he was back playing some of his best football since he won the Dally M medal in 2012.
Barba was playing cards in a Cronulla hotel with a group of team mates when he became embroiled in the dispute with Feki.
The pair exchanged nasty words and witnesses say Barba was extremely inebriated at the time.
That is when Graham stepped in to take him home.
The Sharks and their welfare team are still closely monitoring Barba’s behaviour.
Barba has been in trouble before after violent incidents involving alcohol during his time at the Bulldogs in 2012 and required rehab treatment for anger management and gambling.
He joined the Brisbane Broncos but coach Wayne Bennett cut him from the team before he was picked up by the Sharks.
This year Barba has been a major reason for the Sharks’ surge into premiership calculations.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Barba went on a recent bender and had to be separated from team mate Sosaia Feki after an disagreement in a Cronulla Hotel over a game of cards.
Cronulla officials have denied the altercation was physical but another team mate Wade Graham had to accompany Barba to his home “for his own protection.”
There he argued with his partner Ainslie Currie, who is expecting the couple’s fourth daughter within a week. The couple already have three daughters and are expecting a fourth.
The next day Barba flew home to Mackay and was seen sobbing at the airport as he was about to board the plane.
The incident took place before the Sharks had the weekend off earlier this month for the NRL representative round.
“He broke out on the grog that night and he doesn’t handle grog at all,” said Sharks CEO Lyall Gorman.
“He had a row with his missus but we don’t believe that was physical. We just felt the best place for him was home with his parents for a couple of days.
“We have put a lot of work into him and he has been given a lot of welfare and education support.”
Barba left the Canterbury Bulldogs three years ago after allegations over allegations of domestic violence.
The club viewed the incident so seriously they dispatched a welfare officer to his parent’s home in Mackay on Sunday, May 7 to check on Barba’s state of mind.
Barba has been placed under welfare watch by the Sharks.
He returned home three days later and resumed training with the Sharks.
After a troubled stint in Brisbane, Cronulla officials thought Barba’s dark days were behind him and he was back playing some of his best football since he won the Dally M medal in 2012.
Barba was playing cards in a Cronulla hotel with a group of team mates when he became embroiled in the dispute with Feki.
The pair exchanged nasty words and witnesses say Barba was extremely inebriated at the time.
That is when Graham stepped in to take him home.
The Sharks and their welfare team are still closely monitoring Barba’s behaviour.
Barba has been in trouble before after violent incidents involving alcohol during his time at the Bulldogs in 2012 and required rehab treatment for anger management and gambling.
He joined the Brisbane Broncos but coach Wayne Bennett cut him from the team before he was picked up by the Sharks.
This year Barba has been a major reason for the Sharks’ surge into premiership calculations.
