Bidding war commences for the signature of Mitchell Barnett

A host of NRL clubs are said to be eyeing a move for Mitchell Barnett after the forward was granted an unexpected early release from the final year of his contract with the New Zealand Warriors.

The 31-year-old, who joined the Warriors from the Newcastle Knights in 2023 and has since become one of the competition's more respected middle forwards, sought the release on compassionate grounds for family reasons so he can relocate back to Australia at the end of the 2026 season.

Speaking to The Courier Mail, Barnett's agent Gavin Orr revealed there are clubs that are significantly interested in the services of the current Warriors player. 

“The Broncos are certainly one of those teams Mitch would be keen to talk to,” said his agent Gavin Orr of Pacific Sports Management.

“I've already had several calls from a number of clubs including the Broncos and Eels.

“It's only a short flight from where his family are in Taree (near Newcastle), so they are a genuine option.

“Everyone will mention Payne Haas leaving the Broncos, but they've also got a number of props like Xavier Willison, Corey Jensen and Ben Talty so we need to weigh up all options.

“But there's no doubt the Broncos would be attractive.

“I've had a preliminary chat with a few clubs and now we will take things forward and see what teams can afford.”

Barnett is currently recovering from an ACL injury, and along with the recovery process, the Origin forward wants time to go through the process for all of his options, as Orr believes he has years left to play at a high-level.

“He is still fit so would like to play for another two or three years,” he said.

“He wants to have some time to think about things and get it sorted in the next few weeks.

“Newcastle could be another option given the proximity to his family.”