Ben Barba set to return to rugby league

Former St Helens star Ben Barba will take to a rugby league field this weekend, representing the Mackay side for the League Championships.

Barba was de-registered from the NRL in 2019 following numerous off-field misdemeanours – a move which was supported by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL).

But, after walking free from the Mackay Magistrates Court following the allegation of assaulting his brother-in-law, Barba was given the green light by the Mackay District Rugby League to play community rugby league.

Mackay and District Cutters will take on the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the new competition after winning the Foley Shield final and Barba was hopeful that his team would create “something special” at the weekend.

“It’s going to be tough, but we’ve got some good players locally,” Barba told media on Tuesday.

“I’ll just play my role in the team and hopefully we’ll have something special happen that night.”