Ben Barba was drinking for at least seven hours before the alleged incident that cost him his career

Moments after Ben Barba allegedly assaulted his partner on Australia Day at Townsville casino the pair shared a taxi home.Barba and Ainslie Currie had spent more than seven hours drinking at the venue with several Cowboys players and partners.

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Moments after Ben Barba allegedly assaulted his partner on Australia Day at Townsville casino the pair shared a taxi home.

Barba and his long-time partner Ainslie Currie, the mother of his four daughters, had spent more than seven hours at the venue with several Cowboys players and partners. Teammates Justin O’Neill and Te Maire Martin were in their company for much of the afternoon before the alleged incident that forced the Cowboys to terminate Barba’s contract on Friday.

Barba is unlikely to ever play in the NRL again.

The Sunday Telegraph understands police and the NRL integrity unit will investigate three separate ­alleged incidents involving the couple:

● A heated verbal exchange and swearing in the swimming pool area in front of hotel guests, several Cowboys players and their partners.

● An alleged physical clash soon afterwards inside the casino that was caught on CCTV footage and viewed by Cowboys officials before he was sacked.

● Another alleged clash in the carpark before getting into a taxi.

Barba was sacked before he played a game for North Queensland.

Barba had been drinking for at least seven hours with other Australia Day revellers before the alleged assault.

Cowboys players O’Neill and Martin have told officials they did not witness the alleged physical assault. They have been praised for helping the pair get a taxi home around 8.30pm.

Despite their alleged altercation, Barba and Currie remain together and they were spotted having lunch the next day with their young family. The Cowboys were shocked when ­informed of what had happened on Monday. Barba trained with the side on Tuesday in what would be his final session.

“He’d settled in really well, he was popular with the players and had been outstanding at training,” coach Paul Green said. “He seemed happy in his new environment and everything was going well. There were absolutely no signs of any issues.”

The former Dally M winner is no stranger to off-field trouble. AAP Image/Michael Chambers.

Barba is now facing a life ban from the sport. The 29-year-old was ­accused of striking Currie and leaving her with a bloodied face at the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2013. He was never charged. In 2016 he was banned for 12 weeks by the NRL for testing positive to cocaine for a second time.

NRL independent commission boss Peter Beattie has praised the Cowboys’ handling of the issue.

“They should be strongly supported for moving swiftly to sack Ben Barba,” he said. “Barba does not have an NRL contract now and I would be stunned if any club offered him one. This means he is not playing in the NRL. His football career is over.”

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