barnett.webp
barnett.webp

Player Mitch Barnett

Date of Birth
Apr 15, 1994
Birth Location
Taree, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality
  1. 🇦🇺 Australia
Height (cm)
187 cm
Weight (kg)
104 kg
Position/s
  1. Prop
  2. Second Row
  3. Lock
Nickname
Barny
Warrior #
275
NRL Debut Date
Aug 10, 2015
NRL Debut Details
2015, Round 22, Canberra Raiders vs Wests Tigers
Warriors Debut Date
Mar 3, 2023
Warriors Debut Details
March 3 2023, Round 1 vs Newcastle Knights at SKY Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
Warriors Years Active
  1. 2023
  2. 2024
  3. 2025
Signed From
Newcastle Knights
Junior Club/s
Wingham Tigers
Previous Club/s
Canberra Raiders, Newcastle Knights
Rep Honours
  1. Australia
  2. NSW (SOO)
Awards/Honours
  1. Warriors Captain
  2. Warriors Player of the Year
Status
Active
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Barnett
Rugby League Project
https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/mitchell-barnett/summary.html
Overview instagram Gallery Discussion

NZWarriors.com

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'Pretty close to retiring': Barnett's path from spinal surgery to Origin debut​

Author Cameron Mee NRL ReporterTimestamp Sat 13 Jul 2024, 06:01 AM

NSW debutant Mitchell Barnett has revealed how close he came to retiring last year as he battled a recurrent neck injury.

The Warriors hardman underwent surgery for a damaged disc in 2020 however the issue returned early last season and walking away from football emerged as a genuine possibility.

With a growing family, Barnett recognised he had to consider factors beyond his personal ambitions when weighing up the best path forward.

Ultimately the forward opted for one last attempt at salvaging his rugby league career and he hasn't looked back.

"I was pretty close to retiring," Barnett said. "My eldest son was just over 12 months old. We were over [in New Zealand] and I was in a lot of pain.

"Some of the advice I was getting from surgeons was probably pushing me [towards retirement]. Once I got over the initial decision [and was told] that I was safe to play rugby league, that changed my mind in an instant.

"You always want to be able to play with your kids. That's what I was thinking about at the time but once I spoke to the surgeon and he said it was safe to play rugby league, it was all good.

Barnett's journey to State of Origin has been a long one, with the 30-year-old toiling away in the NRL for almost a decade before finally receiving the opportunity to play for his state.

The Taree product started his career at the Raiders in 2015 before moving to Newcastle a year later and ultimately joining the Warriors last season.

Barnett freely admits he has made plenty of mistakes along the way and recognises it took him some time to mature on and off the field.

The middle forward has taken his game to another level since moving to Auckland and played a key role in the Warriors' charge to last year's preliminary final. While the club has struggled for consistency this season, Barnett has led from the front and his stats are up in every key category.

The 30-year-old is averaging more running metres, more tackle breaks and more tackles, while missing fewer tackles in 2024.

Many have pointed to a six-game suspension in 2022 for striking Penrith's Chris Smith as the trigger for Barnett's turnaround, but the forward said his attitude had started to shift before that incident.

"It actually wasn't that incident," he said. "It looks like that because of what's happened since then, but it was happening before then. I don't want to create any conflict, but to go to a club and have a coach who believes in me and really love what I bring to the table helped as well.

"The other thing is having kids and finally wanting to grow up and mature. My wife is always there through thick and thin, good and bad. I just didn't want to be known for that.

"I felt like I always had more to give to the game. That's why getting out of my comfort zone was the main one. [Warriors coach Andrew Webster] and [CEO] Cam George have been unbelievable.

"They believe in me. I have given them a reason to believe in me as well. I am just extremely grateful that my feet have made me land where I am. That's why you're seeing the best version of me."

Blue
Barnett has been in the Blues set up before, but this time it's different.

The forward has been in the extended squad on multiple occasions however he has never been selected in the 17 and Wednesday's decider will mark the first time he's featured in a State of Origin contest.

It's the biggest match of his career and Barnett is looking forward to soaking it all in at Suncorp Stadium but he's determined to ensure he prepares as he would for any game of football.

"They pick you on what you've been doing so there's no point trying to be something that you're not," he said. "For me, the preparation I've been doing all year, I've been playing consistent footy and I haven't been changing too much week to week.

"I don't need to be anyone else. I just need to keep doing what got me to the dance. That's having a narrow focus and playing good footy."
 
From The Roar:

Barnett a top bloke
Mitch Barnett’s Origin debut was marvellous. It hasn’t been talked about enough. The interchange forward played 48 minutes and made 30 tackles for zero misses.
Yet it was the technique and aggression that he tackled with. Away from his brutal carries and heavy contact with ball in hand, Barnett chopped the Maroons at the hips. He was playing Jake Trbojevic’s role while the skipper was on the bench.
After big mid-week celebrations, he was back within 48-hours, making a return to the field. As a starting prop, he played 73 minutes. This statistic alone is remarkable. No front-rower in the competition plays those minutes, especially after an Origin hitout.

Barnett charged for 159 metres and made 41 tackles. He also scored a stunning individual try that illustrated his tireless efforts and smart footy brain.
The former Knight noticed a clear mismatch on the short side and stormed from right to left, smashing his way through Joseph Tapine.
After all of that, it was his selflessness in the press conference that capped off a career-best week.
“I didn’t even cross my mind (resting). Where we are at, I consider myself a leader of this club, that was the first thing I wanted to do, back up,” Barnett said.

Full article here: https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/07/...arathon-man-and-stop-the-expansion-explosion/
 
The Shah of Iran said:
From The Roar:

Barnett a top bloke
Mitch Barnett’s Origin debut was marvellous. It hasn’t been talked about enough. The interchange forward played 48 minutes and made 30 tackles for zero misses.
Yet it was the technique and aggression that he tackled with. Away from his brutal carries and heavy contact with ball in hand, Barnett chopped the Maroons at the hips. He was playing Jake Trbojevic’s role while the skipper was on the bench.
After big mid-week celebrations, he was back within 48-hours, making a return to the field. As a starting prop, he played 73 minutes. This statistic alone is remarkable. No front-rower in the competition plays those minutes, especially after an Origin hitout.

Barnett charged for 159 metres and made 41 tackles. He also scored a stunning individual try that illustrated his tireless efforts and smart footy brain.
The former Knight noticed a clear mismatch on the short side and stormed from right to left, smashing his way through Joseph Tapine.
After all of that, it was his selflessness in the press conference that capped off a career-best week.
“I didn’t even cross my mind (resting). Where we are at, I consider myself a leader of this club, that was the first thing I wanted to do, back up,” Barnett said.

Full article here: https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/07/...arathon-man-and-stop-the-expansion-explosion/
Click to expand...
Is it right of webby to thrash Barnett like this?
 
BangBro's (still banging) said:
Is it right of webby to thrash Barnett like this?
Click to expand...
its borderline, we have a full set of forwards to choose from, bar Tohu.

But the last two games they've had to cover multiple outside back injuries - so the starters are always going to play a lot.

We do have a habit of this, Price, Mannering, Harris now Barnett, once we get a forward playing that well, he's going to earn his money the hard way.
 
BigUCE said:
Article mentions that Barney had initially planned to move back to Aussie at the end of this season prior to signing his extension.

www.zerotackle.com

Barnett reflects on career-changing move to New Zealand Warriors

“When I first signed with them, I did my deal, and that was going to be it.”
www.zerotackle.com
Click to expand...
I think thats a good sign, like if club culture wasn’t heading in the right direction surely he would have left. He was in form and probably could have got a good contract at a good club.
 
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