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.
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