Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen has expressed his sympathy for the plight of under-pressure playmaker Ben Barba.
The former Dally M medallist was recruited to the Sharks from Brisbane for the 2015 season as a replacement for Todd Carney.
But Barba has been benched by coach Shane Flanagan amid his indifferent form and the rise of boom rookie Jack Bird.
Bird entrenched his spot in the Sharks halves alongside Jeff Robson with Barba out suspended. Valentine Holmes's good form at fullback also means Barba is unlikely to assume the Sharks No.1 jersey any time soon.
The former Canterbury fullback returned to the Sharks side on the interchange bench for last week's win over Newcastle and again finds himself on the pine for Monday's round seven clash with South Sydney.
"It's a team sport, it's not about Ben Barba, I felt sorry for him over the first three rounds because there was so much pressure on him," Gallen said at training on Wednesday.
"It wasn't his fault we were losing those games.
"He is part of a team and whatever role he plays is going to be important for us and I support him 100 per cent, whether he plays at fullback, on the wing, or off the bench."
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