- Mitchell Barnett has revealed why he missed the birth of his son
- Barnett, 30, was training with NSW when his wife went into labour
- He didn’t make it in time, but was reunited after the Origin camp
Mitchell Barnett has revealed why he has no regrets about missing the birth of his second child and helping out his NSW teammates earlier in the State of Origin series.
Barnett, 30, will make his debut for the Blues in next week’s Origin I decider and said he will soon have a “nice story” to tell after failing to make it back to New Zealand in time for the birth of his son Zane six days before Origin I.
The Warriors star was part of Michael Maguire’s extended 20-man squad ahead of the season opener and sacrificed the life-changing moment to help his teammates prepare for the match, which they lost in Sydney.
“I had to leave the camp and tried to come back for the birth but I missed it,” Barnett told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I was able to help my wife and son get out of the hospital, get them home and get them settled.
It was planned [birth]but I had an obligation and wanted to help the boys. I trained here and then got on a flight knowing I would miss it. It was an opportunity I had to take here because it was the first time I was selected in the group. It will make a great story one day.’
The Barnett family hope to fly to Brisbane to see the 30-year-old win his first Blues cap, while the second rower hopes Zana can join his two-year-old brother Nate on the trip to Australia.
Barnett explained his decision as follows: “This is our group that we have here.
“All the lads sacrifice things and the fans probably don’t see what NRL players do on a daily basis in terms of sacrifice. They move away from their families. It’s a short career so you have to make the most of it.”
Mitch Barnett missed the birth of his second child due to State of Origin
Barnett opted to help his NSW Blues teammates prepare for Origin I
He hopes his young family can travel to Brisbane for the deciding match
Barnett’s excellent form for the Warriors saw him replace Haumole Olakau’atu in the 17th minute for this important match at Suncorp Stadium.
Last year he swapped Newcastle Knights for the Warriors, saying it wasn’t an Eastern decision.
‘[It was] “Extremely tough,” he said. “But I needed it. I knew I needed it and I just didn’t want to leave. The fans were so good to me there, my family was comfortable there… it was tough.
‘I have so many good friends there that I played with, and schoolmates, it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. But I’m so glad I did it. I’m here today because of it.
‘I have a good group of guys around me at the Warriors and a coach [Andrew Webster] who believes in me. A lot has changed, and I know I was injured last year, but this year I’ve been a little bit lucky with injuries, touch wood. Things have fallen into place for me.’