NZ Warriors co-captain Mitch Barnett will miss the rest of the NRL season after scans confirmed he suffered a serious knee injury during Sunday’s game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The injury happened early in the match, which the Warriors won 36-30 at Accor Stadium.
Doctors found that Barnett tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. This type of injury is common in sports and usually requires surgery and a long recovery. The injury occurred when Barnett made a tackle with teammate Chanel Harris-Tavita on South Sydney’s Jayden Sullivan. His leg bent awkwardly, and he had to leave the field.
Barnett will soon meet with specialists to decide when he will have surgery. The Warriors shared a message on Instagram saying, “Thoughts go out to Barney and his family… we all know skip will be back soon and better than ever.”
The news is a big setback for the Warriors, who are also missing Barnett’s leadership. It may also affect the New South Wales team for the State of Origin series.
The Warriors will play their next game on Saturday against the Cronulla Sharks.
