As Mitch Barnett remembers it, he was on a path to self-improvement anyway. But the send-off, subsequent suspension and the accompanying barrage of criticism left him with no other option.
“It was a thug act,” Barnett admitted, as he reflected on the incident three years ago that left him at a crossroads in his career.
During a 2022 clash with Penrith in Bathurst, the Newcastle lock was racing across in cover defence to help prevent a try-scoring situation, when decoy runner Chris Smith strayed into his path.
As Smith emerged in his peripheral vision, Barnett extended his arm to brace for impact and continued chasing the ball. But instead of just brushing past Smith, his elbow collected the Penrith back-rower flush on the jaw, knocking him senseless.
Sent off, referred straight to the judiciary and subsequently banned for six games, Barnett’s name was mud.
As he sat in the dressing room in tears, the social media trolls were already berating him as a grub, dog, disgrace, thug and cheap-shot merchant. Immortal Andrew Johns then joined the pile on, telling the Sunday Footy Show: “He has impulsive moments and just does the most stupid things. You can’t defend it. It’s just inexcusable.”
Say what you like about Barnett, but it would be unfair to call him a whinger. He’s his own harshest critic and, like Smith, he copped it on the chin.
Mitch Barnett gets his marching orders on the fateful day in Bathurst.Credit: Getty Images
“The incident was thuggish; like it was a thug act – but I knew that wasn’t me as a person,” he recalled this week. “That was an incident I got wrong, mate, and in a way, I’m sort of glad it happened.”
If that comes across as a brutally honest self-assessment, he clarifies by explaining: “If someone said, ‘You elbowed someone in the head’, it doesn’t sound good.
“It wasn’t something that was pre-planned or anything like that. It was just something that just went horribly wrong. I don’t know how it happened.”
But it wasn’t just the judiciary verdict, nor the public backlash, that was the catalyst for change.
Barnett had already reached the conclusion that he was capable of more than he had shown in seven seasons and 100-plus games for Newcastle.
“It wasn’t that moment that was a turning point for me,” he said. “It was more or so just a combination of where I was going, where I was at. I just knew I had more to offer.”
A two-time Knights player of the year, Barnett assumed he would see out his days in the blue and red. That changed early in 2022 – before the send-off – when he fell out with coach Adam O’Brien and was given permission to negotiate with rival clubs.
Mitchell Bennett has been a revelation since his move to New Zealand.Credit: Getty Images
“To be fair, I wouldn’t have left,” the Wingham Tigers junior said. “I would have stayed there. I mean, we’re planning to move back to Newcastle and live when my footy is over.
“But it wasn’t just my decision to leave. The club was really happy for me to leave as well, which was good for me. I’m glad it happened.”
Barnett’s former coach Nathan Brown wasted no time in signing him to a three-year deal with the Warriors, only for Brown to be replaced by Andrew Webster before Barnett had even booked flights to cross the Tasman.
However, Webster has proven the perfect mentor, switching Barnett from edge forward to the front row, promoting him to co-captain and harnessing the fire that cost him 12 games in suspensions at the Knights.
“Webby’s been great for me, and so has the move over here [New Zealand],” Barnett said. “I think I needed to get out of my comfort zone. It’s good being able to separate my home life and my footy life, and I believe I’ve matured as a player and as a person.
“I’m just in a happy place at the Warriors and, obviously, I’ve taken my game to another level.”
Mitch Barnett’s commitment to the cause could never be questioned.Credit: Getty Images
Far from being out of sight and out of mind, the new, improved Barnett was gaining admirers on this side of the ditch, too.
He was named as a standby player for NSW in last year’s Origin series opener, which meant he missed the birth of his second son, Zane. That sacrifice paid dividends when he made his debut in game three, helping the Blues win the series decider.
For good measure, he played three Tests for the Kangaroos at the end of last season in their successful Pacific Championships campaign.
Named alongside Payne Haas in the front row for Origin I at Suncorp Stadium next week, the 31-year-old admits he “probably did give up” on getting a crack at representative football. Indeed, after two bouts of major neck surgery, he feels blessed to be playing at all.
Now, after living his dream with NSW and the Kangaroos, he wants to do likewise with the Warriors, who are flying high in second spot on the NRL ladder.
“Obviously we haven’t won a premiership, so it’d be massive,” he said.
“It’s everyone’s goal who plays rugby league. But we’ve got a long way to go before we even think about that. We’re only 11 games into the season.
“Our first goal is playing our best footy and doing it for a consistent period of time. Hopefully one day that leads to something good.
“Over in New Zealand, they love their footy; they absolutely live and breathe it. They want their premiership, and if they did, it’d be a whole country thing; it wouldn’t just be an Auckland thing.
“It would be pretty special to win one for a whole country.”
First things first, however, he’s got an Origin series to win for a whole state.
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