Mitch Barnett embraces Taine Tuaupiki as the Warriors beat the Newcastle Knights in Christchurch. Photo / Photosport
Mitch Barnett embraces Taine Tuaupiki as the Warriors beat the Newcastle Knights in Christchurch. Photo / Photosport
While the Warriors’ leadership stocks have taken hit after hit this NRL season, co-captain Mitch Barnett’s continued rise has kept the club on track through what could have been a problematic period.
Since the end of the 2024 season, the Warriors’ leadership group has been heavily depleted.
While their collective leadership was boosted by the arrival of Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris, a pectoral injury means the 29-year-old will be sidelined for up to six weeks.
What’s more, the loss of Fisher-Harris came in the wake of former Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck suffering a hamstring injury, while former Kiwis captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is yet to play a minute this season after suffering a wrist injury in pre-season.
In those absences, though, Barnett has only grown. After signing for the Warriors in 2023, the 31-year-old has gone from strength to strength in Auckland – firstly by becoming an NRL-leading prop, before last year returning maiden call-ups for both New South Wales and Australia.
And after being named as the Simon Mannering medallist – the annual award for the Warriors’ best player – Barnett was elevated to co-captaincy permanently, after filling in for Harris last season.
As a leader, Barnett falls into the “do as I do, not what I say” camp. His high standards and demands of himself are matched by an equally high workrate on the field.
Even after Fisher-Harris limped from the field in the 42-14 defeat to the Melbourne Storm, the Warriors recorded back-to-back wins over the Brisbane Broncos and the Newcastle Knights.
Because of that, as the team head to Brisbane for a Magic Round clash against the North Queensland Cowboys, they’re doing so as a top-four NRL side.
For Andrew Webster, Barnett’s leadership and duty of care to his club and teammates is a feature of his game that he saw before he even became Warriors coach.
Mitch Barnett of the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
And while Barnett proved last year that he’s more than capable of leading the Warriors, this year has seen him reach another level.
“Mitch would be really satisfied with the difference in his leadership between this time and last year,” Webster explained.
“Last year, it was all around ‘I’ll show you the way with my actions’. He still leads exactly the same way, but he’s very polished at talking to the group, calming them down, and he’s also good at bringing his peers in.
“It’s quite funny, he got suspended for eight weeks when I coached against him at Penrith for hitting someone late. I couldn’t believe how aggressive he still is, but is so disciplined, calm and clear.
“When I got the job, I started watching him closely. I couldn’t believe his work ethic and how hard he tried. I thought he was going to make a big impact.
“When I rang him and spoke to him on the phone, I couldn’t believe how much he cared about the team, and how much of an impact he had. I thought that was leadership straight away.”
Barnett isn’t alone in shouldering the leadership burden, either. Even with that host of names unavailable, hooker Wayde Egan and second-rower Kurt Capewell have also shone.
That’s been vital, particularly in guiding arguably the most exciting core of young players the club has produced.
Most importantly, though, Barnett has the faith of the players.
Fisher-Harris’ arrival at the start of the year saw him instilled as an automatic choice to lead the Warriors, given his success both at test level with New Zealand and as a member of the Penrith Panthers’ premiership dynasty.
However, as Webster explained, Barnett made himself impossible to not be handed more responsibility by the time a captain was named following Harris’ retirement.
As a player, Chanel Harris-Tavita has been with the Warriors for the tenure of both Harris, and Tuivasa-Sheck, before he left the club in 2021.
And yet it’s Barnett’s approach that resonates the strongest for his charges.
“He’s a bit more vocal than Tohu,” said Harris-Tavita. “But he’s the same as Tohu in that he leads with his actions.
“As much as he talks at training and in games, he’s always doing the little things that not many people want to do.
“That’s why he has the respect of the whole team. Fish has been a big loss for us. But in the last few weeks, Barney has really progressed as a leader.
“It’s similar to last year; we lost a few players, were down on troops but Barney really stepped up and led us through that tough time.
“He’s doing the same thing now. It’s good that we’re getting results off the back of it.”
