Mitch Barnett and Andrew Webster pre-game. Photo / Photosport
Warriors coach Andrew Webster has opened up on the conversations that led to co-captain Mitch Barnett announcing he will leave the NRL at the end of the season on compassionate grounds.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Barnett had been granted a release from the final year of his contract due to one of his children’s health requirements and the need for ongoing family support.
The 31-year-old has chosen to keep the details private, describing it as “the toughest decision” of his life, but one that “had to be made”. One of Barnett’s children was born in New Zealand.
Since joining the Warriors in 2023, Barnett has made 49 appearances and found career-best form. In 2024 he won the Simon Mannering Medal as the club’s Player of the Year, form that earned him his State of Origin debut for New South Wales and his first international cap for the Kangaroos.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine on Weekend Sport, Webster insisted Barnett remains fully committed to the club and would have finished his career at the Warriors if not for his family circumstances.
“This hasn’t been ongoing for the last week or anything like that, or we just turned up on Monday and decided this is the direction we’re going to go,” Webster said.
“We had lots of conversations around what was becoming a situation for his family and his children. He was going through some stuff and, in the end, we all decided he needed to go home and be around family support.
“I give him a lot of credit for the way he handled it. A lot of people could say this is just an Australian wanting to go back to Australia. This is a player who loves the Warriors so much, wants to win a comp here and finish his career here, but he just can’t because family comes first.”
Barnett said he wanted to make the announcement before the season to avoid it becoming a distraction in 2026.
Several clubs have already expressed interest in the veteran forward, whose priority is to be close to family in Taree, in central New South Wales.
Barnett is not the only international forward who could depart at season’s end. Cook Islands representative Marata Niukore is being pursued by the Perth Bears ahead of their inaugural campaign in 2027.
The Warriors also confirmed this week that fullback Taine Tuaupiki has re-signed through to the end of the 2028 season.
They open their campaign on March 6 against the Sydney Roosters in Auckland, with five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita, winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Niukore all expected to be fit after injury-interrupted pre-seasons.
Webster confirmed Harris-Tavita and Tanah Boyd will start in the halves until Luke Metcalf returns from his ACL injury, which is expected to be between rounds eight and 10. Barnett will also miss the opening matches as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury.
Webster has identified concentration as an area the side must improve if they are to build on their success in 2025.
“That’s no reference to where the game’s going or anything like that, but I think we’re dominating big periods of the game, we’re looking the better side, and we just don’t ice that moment,” Webster said.
“We’re successful in a lot of those areas, but we’re trying to be number one, so we’ve identified that if we concentrate for longer, stay in the game and avoid those big momentum swings, then we can put a score on a team or win more tight games.”
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.