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Intervention ... Des Hasler helped Ben Barba through his rehab process. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler's emotional intervention was the key to getting Ben Barba out of rehab and back onto the footy field.
Speaking on Fox Sports' Sterlo show, Barba paid tribute to Hasler for the key role he played in helping him resurrect his career after struggles with drinking and gambling led to him being stood down by his club on the eve of round one.
Barba, however, acknowledged many of his teammates were let down by his behaviour and he faced a battle to win back their trust.
"Des was pretty good, he knew when he first put me in there he told me to trust him and to knuckle down and work hard because the ultimatum was put the effort in here or there's no coming back to football," said Barba.
"For times there I struggled a bit and I wanted to pack up and leave and go into hiding somewhere but he came around, they allowed him to come in and see me, and just the emotion he showed towards me on trusting him and knowing there'd be a better outcome if I stayed in there and worked through it, he's been such a big help to me this last year, and especially through this tough time."
Hasler has been lauded for his man-management skills at both Manly and the Bulldogs, and he proved them again by piloting an inexperienced side to the grand final in his first season with the club in 2012.
Key to that fairytale run was the incredible form of the enigmatic Barba, perhaps the most frightening fullback in the competition at his best, who became the main project player of Hasler, determined to transform him from a defensive liability into an all-round weapon.
So when Barba was jettisoned by the club on the eve of round one, the question lingered, how would Hasler and his players react?
That was answered by their lacklustre 1-2 start to the season, so when Barba made an unexpected Good Friday return against South Sydney in round four the expectation was that things would quickly turn around.
Catch Sterlo LIVE at 7.30pm (EST) Thursday on Fox Sports 1HD for the best weekly analysis of the NRL.
Instead, the grand finalists have slipped further into the mire, and Barba admitted he was feeling the pressure to rediscover top form and get back to winning games for his side.
Not only does he feel the weight of expectation now, Barba also feels it contributed to his wayward off-season.
"I feel it a lot," Barba said. "And I still feel it now.
"It's something I'm probably struggling with after being in that place and letting down my teammates, obviously being the Dally M Player and then having to come back, and then not going so well as people expect me to, and I guess be a saviour: I still feel the pressure now."
"Expectations of everything has been tough. It's something I'm still trying to work with and still trying to deal with.
"I'm not happy with the way I've been playing the first few weeks. Obviously you can make the excuse of me being in the clinic and all that sort of stuff, but being in there I didn't forget how to run, I didn't forget how to pass, I didn't forget how to tackle. I think it's all about me gaining my confidence again that I'm able to perform at this level and then go from there.
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"But I guess (my form) hasn't been too good and hopefully I find some soon."
Not only has Barba been slow to rediscover top gear, rumours have started to surface of dissent in the ranks at Belmore and this week there has been speculation that Barba was seeking a release from his contract so he could join Brisbane.
Barba poured cold water on that report but admitted he still had work to do to regain the trust of his teammates.
"I'd like to know where all these rumours start from," Barba said.
"At the moment I'm happy playing at the Dogs and we might not be going too well, but I'm still happy at the club and all that kind of stuff.
"Everyone's starting to doubt us but we haven't lost faith. There's still 20 games to go and we've got some good players to come back in the next few weeks. As soon as we win that one game I'm sure they'll continue."
And on the relationships that need repairing after they were damaged by Barba's behaviour in the pre-season, he said: "I'm sure a lot of them were let down.
"As I said, I've had a bit of trouble over past years at the club, being suspended and all that kind of stuff due to alcohol related issues but there were a lot there that were pretty disappointed, especially after the year I had last year and the way I went about things.
"I guess to put that on them so close to the start of the season, I'm sure a lot of them still feel a bit disappointed. And my first day out I told them that I know personally that it won't happen overnight that they're going to forgive me, and I know after a few weeks, months maybe, they'll finally forgive me for what I did to the team at the start of the season.
"I'm working really hard every day to mend those relationships that I had with those teammates and hopefully one day they can forgive and forget."
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