The Ben Barba show produced a few more clips for the highlights reel in Round 11, 2012, when the Bulldogs defeated the Sharks 26-6. Barba was at his attacking best in a sizzling display as he scored two tries and led his team to a 20-point victory.
The Bulldogs’ win, which propelled them into the top eight, was built around a 40-minute offloading blitz that tired the Sharks and handed the home side a 24-0 lead at half-time.
Canterbury finished with 16 offloads for the match but perhaps the most pleasing aspect for coach Des Hasler was his side’s completion rate – it finished at 81 per cent after an amazing first-half rate of 89 per cent.
The Sharks were their own worst enemy in some ways, committing a total of 12 errors, even though the second half was a better effort that saw them outscore their opponents 6-2.
Aside from Barba’s brilliance, English import James Graham showed his importance to the Bulldogs, running for a game-high 172 metres in an impressive effort.