https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/how-ben-barba-fared-in-his-return-to-league/3875101/#/0 DEAN Tass had not lined up alongside Ben Barba on the footy field for 10 years. It was at an indigenous carnival in Townsville, just before the former Dally M Medal winner established himself as a top NRL player. Reunited at the Mackay scrumbase for the Kanaka Proud Cup, it was as though they had never been apart. Tass captained the Mackay side to a 40-28 win against Rockhampton and was named player of the match. But he was in awe of Barba's natural ability, even though the latter has not played the game at a professional level for months. "To be honest I was really looking forward to playing with Ben … you could see how good a player he is; he's an unreal talent and really turned it on," Tass said.
"There were a lot of people who came out to back him." For a moment, when Barba broke into the back field early in the second half, you would have thought it was 2012. The Cronulla Sharks' premiership winner shrugged off the defence to get into open space, before he burned the Rockhampton fullback on his way to a vintage Barba four-pointer. Kanaka Proud Cup organiser Marion Healy said the tight-knit indigenous community had rallied behind Barba. They were a family, she said, and they needed to help him become the role model their next generation needed him to be. "Everyone wants to love or hate Benny; I grew up that kid in rugby league as the president of Northern Suburbs Junior Rugby League," Healy said. "We understand when you make a mistake in life you do the time and then you get out there, turn the pages and set an example for the next generation coming through. "He made a mistake, but we need to build his pride up to come out and lead." The family theme was evident in the make-up of the Mackay Kanaka Proud Cup team. Karmon, Rainer and Xanthe Power all featured in the squad, while Tass skippered three of his brothers. "It's common knowledge; everything we do is together whether it's football, fishing - whatever we do we do it all together," Tass said. "But there are a lot of families in that team, we're all pretty much cousins and know each other's game. "It's unreal; a lot of the guys are spread out through different clubs, so for us to be together for a game is so good. Obviously it doesn't happen a lot, so everybody just wants to play for each other and get that win for Mackay." Commenting on the third successful Kanaka Proud Cup, Healy was overcome with emotion. Call it passion, pride, excitement - she said events like this set the example for how young men and women in their community needed to act. "It's so powerful; most of our children, our young people, have grown up in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community," Healy said. "To have an event aimed at us, as Australian South Sea islanders, is so important. We go and support everything else, it's our turn - it's our turn to tell our story."
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AuthorSelection of sport content. I was regularly called upon to assist with sport in the abscence of other staff. Archives
November 2019
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