Mitchell Barnett may not be playing in the 2025 NRL Finals, but the New Zealand Warriors skipper has found other ways to involve himself with the team as they prepare to face the Penrith Panthers.
Although Barnett's season may have come to an abrupt end in June after rupturing his ACL, the front-rower remains a regular presence around the first-grade squad and has been able to take on a more vocal role at training.
This has helped him give tips to the younger members of the squad - in particular, the forwards - who don't have the finals experience of their opponents, who are attempting to make it five straight premierships.
"I try to (help mentor) but give them their distance too, though. When I see something I say it, that's probably the way I would put it," Barnett told Zero Tackle at the NRL Finals launch.
"I've sort of been a bit of an ear for Webby [Andrew Webster] as well at stages, and then just sort of check the morale of the group.
"I've been finding more of a voice around training because when they travel, I don't, so I try and front-load a bit of that stuff.
"Whenever someone's needed me I've just helped them out and talk over how the game's going."
Already without Barnett and Luke Metcalf, the Warriors were hit with more casualties on the weekend, with the duo of Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (shoulder) and Rocco Berry (shoulder) joining them on the sidelines.
The absence of these four players will require others to stand up, especially the more experienced members of the squad, such as James Fisher-Harris, Kurt Capewell and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who know what it is like to perform on the big stage when the stakes are higher.
"We've got a good mix in our squad. A good mix of youth and experience. We're sort of not where we want to be, but we're okay with the position we're at, and we've got a lot of improvement," Barnett said.
"We sat in the top four for most of the year, and we've probably only played one 80-minute performance. We'll be very challenging for the Panthers."
