Reigning Man of Steel Ben Barba has started a new job as a truck driver according to the Courier Mail in Australia.
Barba was sacked by North Queensland Cowboys and deregistered by the NRL for allegedly assaulting his partner in a Townsville casino.
The RFL also stated they would stand by the NRL’s life ban handed to Barba, effectively ending the 29-year-old’s rugby league career.
And less than two week’s after his NRL exile, it seems that the former Dally M Medal winner has a new job, reportedly earning $27.20 an hour as a truck driver.
It is a dramatic fall for a player who, after leaving St Helens as Super League’s best player, signed a lucrative $500,000 a year contract with North Queensland ahead of the 2019 season.
Speaking on his sacking, Cowboys’ Head of Football Peter Parr said they would help Barba through his struggles.
“We are going to help Ben wherever possible,” he told the Courier Mail.
“At the end of the day, Ben is a human being with a partner and four young kids and we can’t just toss them out without any care.
“They are a young family and we feel we have a responsibility to help them — if indeed they want that help.”
