Five keys to Ben Barba turning around his NRL career after signing for Cronulla Sharks Ben Barba had few reasons to smile as a Bronco in 2014. CRONULLA'S signing of Ben Barba is a calculated risk based on the 2012 Dally M Medallist recapturing the form that took the Bulldogs to the grand final that season. So how can the Sharks help the fragile star rediscover his brilliant best? Here's five keys to a successful marriage between Barba and Cronulla. Love from Flanagan In Barba's Dally M season, one of the key ingredients for his success was plenty of love from Des Hasler. Knowing his side lacked X-factor in the halves, Hasler designed a game plan to unlock Barba's strengths, providing the enigmatic fullback with plenty of scope to back his instincts and play what he saw in front of him. With the full confidence of his coach behind him, Barba felt bulletproof and took the game on rather than playing scared. If Flanagan hopes for a Barba revival he'll need to smother the fragile ace in hugs and kisses and hope the confidence of 2012 returns. Pick and stick With Michael Gordon locking down the fullback position, it's clear Cronulla has brought Barba in to play five-eighth - the position left vacant by Todd Carney's axing last season. If that's to work out for the Sharks, it's going to need to be a long-term strategy, not just a gap-filler. A factor in Barba's failure to find form at the Broncos was that he was never able to get comfortable in one position. Josh Hoffman's restlessness and Barba's failure to hit the ground running in Brisbane eroded the fullback's confidence and he was forced to finish the season in the No. 6 jersey. If the Sharks lose patience early and start chopping and changing, potentially moving Gordon to centre or wing to accommodate Barba in the No. 1 jersey, they can forget a resurrection from their star recruit and probably throw finals out the window too. Michael Gordon is likely to be retained at fullback by the Sharks. Help from Ennis, Robson One thing that should give Cronulla supporters faith in Ben Barba is the two experienced heads in the hooker and halfback positions. When Carney was starring for the Sharks, it was often the work of Jeff Robson and John Morris that was overlooked. The Sharks played their best when Carney was allowed to scheme on the edges while Robson and Morris did the grunt work - organising the forwards and building a good base from tackle one to tackles three and four. If Barba's given the same creative freedom and can take a back seat while fellow recruit Mick Ennis and Robson do the organising, the Sharks will be an attacking unit to be reckoned with. Michael Ennis and Ben Barba worked well together at the Bulldogs. A winning pack With all the focus on the ASADA investigation it's easy to forget the horrible luck Cronulla were hit with in 2014. It was one of the largest casualty wards an NRL club has had to contend with in recent memory and it made staying competitive on the field virtually impossible. If the Sharks can get their best forward pack on the field - names like Gallen, Fifita, Ennis, Lewis, Graham, Tupou, Heighington - it is capable of rivalling the best in the competition. If a pack like that gets a roll on, the rugby league field becomes a playground for a player with the speed, guile, and trickery possessed by Ben Barba. Highlight reel tries will once again become second nature and the Sharks faithful will be in for one hell of a ride. Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen feature in a star studded Cronulla pack. Pic: Mark Evans Source: News Limited Off-field stability You only have to go back to this time last year and Barba was once again engineering an exit strategy to keep his NRL career going. The difference in 2013 was that it was his life rather than his football that had gone off the rails, forcing him to find a way out of his contract with Canterbury. Excessive drinking, gambling, and the trappings of overnight stardom in the big city started to have a draining effect on Barba and his relationships with those closest to him, eventually resulting in a stint in a rehabilitation clinic as his personal life unravelled at a frightening pace. When things turned sour in Barba's personal life his performances declined. Pic: Peter Wallis Source: News Limited Despite a return to the field with the Bulldogs, Barba was never the same and many of his teammates became fed up with the changes they saw in the superstar. A Cronulla-based group of mates known as the EBC or Epic Bender Crew were widely attributed with the blame for Barba's downfall. Just a year or two down the track is a fragile personality like Barba asking for trouble setting up a base in his social life equivalent of the lion's den? Time will tell. But no doubt Barba's success on the field will be directly linked to his ability to keep grounded off it. Originally published as Five keys to Barba resurrection