Warriors co-captain Barnett ruled out for season with knee injury
Mitch Barnett ruptured his ACL against Souths on Sunday.
Photo:
NRL Photos/Photosport
NZ Warriors co-captain Mitch Barnett will miss the remainder of the NRL season, after suffering a knee injury in their win over South Sydney Rabbitohs on Sunday.
Barnett left the field about halfway through the first half, after falling awkwardly making a tackle, as his right leg buckled underneath him. He tried to hobble back into position, but left the field soon after and never returned.
Scans on Monday confirmed he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and would be sidelined for the remainder of their 2025 campaign.
The injury will also rule him out of the State of Origin series, after he starred in New South Wales' victory over Queensland in the opener last Wednesday.
He will meet with specialists this week to set a date for surgery.
Barnett, 31, has played 48 games for the Warriors, since arriving at Mt Smart in 2023, after logging seven seasons and 126 games for Newcastle Knights.
He has been a major part of the team's transformation under coach Andrew Webster, making his Origin debut off the bench, as the Blues toppled the Maroons at Brisbane last year.
Barnett was subsequently selected for Australia in the Pacific Championships in October/November.
When Warriors captain Tohu Harris suddenly retired over the summer, Barnett and NZ Kiwis skipper James Fisher-Harris were named to share the captaincy role, but Barnett carried that duty alone for a month, while his teammate recovered from a pec injury.
During that time, the Warriors went on a five-game winning streak that carried them into the competition's top three.
After the 36-30 win over Souths in Sydney, Webster was quizzed on Barnett's injury, but knew little more, until his player underwent scans.
"There's different grades to each different injury and until you look under the hood, honestly you don't know," said Webster. "He's in good spirits.
"We lost Fish for four weeks and he's one of the best front-rowers in the world, so we certainly know how to do next man up.
"Life goes on all the time. You'd rather have your best players on the field, but when they're not, this game doesn't wait for anyone.
"We've got the belief that the next guy will do it. No-one has to do anything more or change their game - they've just got to do their job."
During Fisher-Harris' absence, Webster shifted second-rower Marata Niukore into the front row and promoted teenage sensation Leka Halasima to the starting line-up, where he thrived.
He's likely to do something similar without Barnett.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
25 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Live: Rain warnings, strong winds, thunderstorms forecast as winter blast arrives
A low pressure system sweeping across Aotearoa has triggered MetService to issue a slew of rain and wind warnings right across the country as winter arrives. MetService said downpours and thunderstorms across the North Island and parts of the South Island would gave way to snowfall on Wednesday night. On Wednesday morning about rain, wind and snow warnings were in place across New Zealand, as a low over the Tasman Sea began to cross the country. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
25 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Morning Report Essentials for Wednesday 4 June 2025
media life and society 20 minutes ago In today's episode, according to results out on Wednesday morning, the left bloc would have enough support to govern, the Privacy Commissioner says facial recognition technology in North Island supermarkets has potential safety benefits, despite raising significant privacy concerns, after a shareholders meeting on Tuesday media company NZME - which owns the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB - has a revamped board and an historic ship at the Paihia waterfront in Northland has been 90 percent destroyed by fire.
RNZ News
40 minutes ago
- RNZ News
'A wee bit weird' - Is it time for netball to scrap post-match huddle?
Players huddle during the Magic vs Tactix ANZ Premiership match in Hamilton, 25 May 2025. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 It's the post game ritual that netballers have taken part in for as long as anyone can remember but should New Zealand's elite players ditch the end of game group huddle? Hip hip hip, ray ray ray … is the go-to cheer our top netballers take part in after every game but sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe asked people in the sport whether they actually like the routine. The sight of opposing teams linking arms in a circle after a game has been a common one for years, through to international matches between Australia and New Zealand. In a recent ANZ Premiership match, the two teams came together like they always do to acknowledge each other. But in the commentary box for the TVNZ broadcast, Silver Fern Phoenix Karaka observed that it's not something everyone wants to do. "I'm not a fan, obviously when you're winning and you've won the game it's all good but when you've lost a game like that - you don't want to see the other team," Karaka said. In Australia, the players decided to ditch the end of the game group huddle ahead of this year's Super Netball Competition. Former Australian Diamonds legend turned commentator Cath Cox told a Fox Sports panel show that from an optics point of view, the players felt it looked out of place as professional athletes. Players also said it could be "awkward". Cox said it came off the back of last year's Constellation Cup between the Diamonds and Silver Ferns. In the Constellation Cup series between the Silver Ferns and Diamonds last year, the teams came together after each Test. Photo: Aaron Gillions / "They play each other every two or three days and discussions started then around is it too much to be coming into a huddle when you're still in the heat of the battle and after every single game?" Cox said. Former Silver Ferns captain and coach Yvonne Willering said in her day they thanked the opposition and the umpire and then went back to their own team. "Why would you at that stage want to get in a huddle with the opposition and people sort of say it's all about the game out on court and afterwards you can be mates, but to me it's too soon after the game. It's a bit like I have a problem with a team doing high fives when they really haven't played that well in a particular quarter. "While it's not a major, I totally understand why the Australians are no longer doing that. I think players themselves [in New Zealand] have been looking at that. I think a handshake and then just moving on has more merit," Willering said. Tactix captain Erikana Pedersen said it could feel forced at times. "Sometimes I question why we do that, and is it a bit of a just kind of a nice way to end things out but when you lose you don't want to be in a huddle with the people you just lost to so I can see why the Australian teams have stopped that this season and maybe that's something we need to look at doing," Pedersen said. Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (right). Photo: Marty Melville But some people in the sport, such as Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, believe it's one of the things that makes netball so unique. "We're trying to play the best brand of netball that we can play to make it a really strong game in our country and I think a part of that is doing it as a collective so I think to come together at the end of the game and congratulate each other and just celebrate each other I think is powerful in a women's sport and any sport in general so I'm happy to keep doing it," Sokolich-Beatson said. Pulse captain and Silver Fern veteran Kelly Jackson said she liked the act of camaraderie and respect between the sides. "I think it's nice to acknowledge the team and everyone goes out there to put their best foot forward so I think it shows a lot of sportsmanship to be able to be I guess humble in victory, gracious in defeat," Jackson said. Magic midcourter Georgie Edgecombe said she liked what the Australian teams had done. "Of course shake hands and pay respect to each other after the game but there's probably no need for a huddle and chat, the same thing gets said every week," Edgecombe said Tactix coach Donna Wilkins. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 Mystics shooter Filda Vui said when her side played the Stars in round one, it was an opportunity to empathise with their opponents. "Three of their players got injured and got carried off the court. Mickey [Michaela Sokolich-Beatson] shared a few words just to say we felt for them because those are our sisters and we used to play and grew up with them in Auckland so that's why it's kind of nice too, to just share a few words because that was really sad," Vui said. Former Silver Fern and current Tactix coach Donna Wilkins, also used to play basketball for New Zealand. Wilkins said you don't see it in any other sport and wondered how authentic it was. "It's just always what you do in netball and it is a wee bit weird. Like you always shake hands etc in other sports but you don't normally come together. Normally the captain says something but you know we've just been in the heat of the battle - do they really mean what they are saying? "I know it's something that some of the players have discussed and talked about but I guess we've just always done it so it will be interesting to see if we follow that same path," Wilkins said. Mirroring what happens in most other sports, the Australian players now get around to one another to shake hands. It remains to be seen whether hip hip hip, ray ray ray is here to stay in New Zealand for years to come. But it's safe to say netball won't go down the NBA route of simply heading down the tunnel to the dressing rooms immediately after the game is done. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
