Ben Barba's NRL comeback appears to be over after North Queensland sacked the star recruit due to ''a significant breach of the terms of his contract''.
An incident allegedly occurred at the Townsville Casino over the Australia Day weekend, with multiple media outlets reporting Barba allegedly assaulted his partner Ainslie Currie.
The Cowboys released a statement on Friday to confirm Barba's contract had been terminated and that the NRL's Integrity Unit had been informed of their actions.
“When a player joins the North Queensland Cowboys he agrees to abide by the terms of the contract. After an internal investigation, it has been determined that this player has acted in contradiction to both the terms and the spirit of that agreement,'' Cowboys chairman Laurence Lancini said in a statement.
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''Accordingly, the club has terminated his contract and has informed the NRL’s Integrity Unit.”
It is understood Townsville Police are investigating the alleged matter.
Channel Seven reports the incident involved Barba's partner and mother of their four children.
I can reveal Ben Barba was sacked by @nthqldcowboys due to an alleged incident involving his partner @7NewsSydney #7news #nrl pic.twitter.com/sE8KjtMaBc
— Liam Cox (@LiamCox_TV) February 1, 2019
Channel Nine's Danny Weidler reports the details that he has been informed of paint an ugly picture for Barba and, if true, the fullback should not be allowed in the sport again.
Further to the story we broke about Ben Barba - he has now been sacked. If the details we have are spot on he should never be allowed near the sport that gave him everything again. https://t.co/N66wqza78q
— Danny Weidler (@Danny_Weidler) February 1, 2019
Barba's chequered NRL career came to a halt when the former Dally M Medallist was banned for 12 NRL games after returning a positive test for cocaine following the club's 2016 grand final victory.
He served that suspension in the Super League.
The 27-year-old spent time in an offshore intensive rehab program to deal with the issues.
In 2013, Canterbury stood down the star fullback for breaching the club's code of conduct as a result of his off-field behaviour around alcohol and gambling. He received professional help after a relationship breakdown.
He was due to make his first appearance in Australia since the 2016 grand final for the Indigenous All Stars’ clash with the Maori All Stars on February 15 in Melbourne.
It is unlikely any NRL club will throw him another lifeline.
The Cowboys may now be forced to use key playmaker Michael Morgan at fullback, shifting Te Maire Martin into the halves with young gun Jake Clifford.
In positive news, NFL hopeful Valentine Holmes declared North Queensland would be his home when, or if, he returned to the NRL.
If Holmes' bid overseas fails, he is not permitted to join any club but Cronulla in 2019 as part of an agreement for his early release. However in 2020, Holmes is a free agent.
#BREAKING: The Cowboys are investigating Ben Barba in relation to an incident at Townsville Casino. @Danny_Weidler has the details. #9News pic.twitter.com/8u0kvTYrf1
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) February 1, 2019
