- Mitchell Barnett reveals why he missed the birth of his son
- Barnett, 30, was training with NSW when his wife went into labour.
- He didn’t arrive on time, but he met up after the Origin camp.
Mitchell Barnett has revealed why he has no regrets about missing the birth of his second child to stay and help his New South Wales teammates earlier in the State of Origin series.
Barnett, 30, will make his Blues debut in next week’s Origin decider and said he will have a “good story” to tell a day after failing to return 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 series opener and sacrificed the life-changing moment to help his teammates prepare for the game, which they lost in Sydney.
“I had to leave camp and tried to get back for the birth but couldn’t make it,” Barnett told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I was able to help my wife and son out of the hospital, get them home and get them settled.
“It was a planned thing (the birth), but I had an obligation and I wanted to help the boys. I trained here and then took a flight knowing I would miss it. It was an opportunity I had to take advantage of because it was the first time I was selected in the group. It will be a great story one day.”
The Barnett family are hoping to fly to Brisbane to watch the 30-year-old earn his first cap for the Blues, and the second-rower is hopeful Zana can join his two-year-old brother Nate on the trip to Australia.
Explaining his decision further, Barnett said: “That’s our group that we have here.
“All the lads make sacrifices and fans probably don’t see what NRL players do on a daily basis in terms of sacrifice. They’re away from their families. It’s a short career so you’ve got to make the most of it.”
Mitch Barnett missed the birth of his second child due to State of Origin
Barnett decided to help his NSW Blues teammates prepare for Origin I
He hopes his young family will be able to travel to Brisbane for the decider.
Barnett’s fine form for the Warriors has seen him replace Haumole Olakau’atu at No.17 for the big game at Suncorp Stadium.
He left the Newcastle Knights for the Warriors last year and said it was not 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 felt comfortable there… it was tough.
“I have a lot of good friends there that I played with and schoolmates. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made in my life, but I’m very glad I did it. I’m here today because of it.”
“I’ve got a good group of guys around me at the Warriors and a coach (Andrew Webster) who believes in me. A lot of things have changed and I know I was injured last year, but this year I’ve been a little lucky with injuries, knock on wood. Things have been going the way they should.”
