‘Absolute brain explosion’: Newcastle forward Mitch Barnett sent off for high shot

Newcastle forward Mitch Barnett is staring down the barrel of a lengthy stint on the sidelines following this “absolute brain explosion”.

Newcastle Knights forward Mitch Barnett is staring down the barrel of a lengthy stint on the sidelines after being sent off during Saturday afternoon’s NRL game against the Penrith Panthers in Bathurst.

The Knights were leading by two points late in the first half at Carrington Park when Barnett raised a forearm into the head of Panthers second rower Chris Smith, who had been serving as a decoy.

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Referee Peter Gough quickly reprimanded the 27-year-old, sending him off for a “raised forearm” and “direct contact to the head”.

It left Newcastle with just 12 players on the field as Barnett became the first Knight to be sent off since Kade Snowden in 2013.

To rub salt into the wounds, Panthers winger Taylan May scored his second try of the afternoon soon after the incident to give Penrith a 12-6 lead at halftime.

Meanwhile, Smith failed an HIA test and took no further part in the Round 3 contest.

Mitch Barnett of the Knights. Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images

Fox League commentator Warren Smith labelled it an “absolute brain explosion”.

“Mitch Barnett, he’s got an issue here,” he said.

“Chris Smith has almost come to a halt on his run and Barnett has all sorts of problems. Right on the chin as well or to the throat of Chris Smith, who had pretty much come to a complete stop. That is nasty. What an absolute brain explosion, as cheap as it gets.”

Former Melbourne Storm star Cooper Cronk predicted that Barnett would be serving a “long, long time on the sidelines” for the incident.

“This is ugly, this is stupid,” he said.

Wests Tigers icon Benji Marshall continued: “It is a moment of madness. It has potentially cost his team the game.”

CODE Sports reporter Pam Whaley tweeted: “Well that’s about the dumbest, nastiest and grubbiest thing I’ve seen on a footy field in a long time.”

ABC’s Nick Campton posted: “Incredibly nasty s**t from Barnett, not to mention unbelievably stupid. The dumbest send off I can remember.”

Sports reporter Mark Gottlieb tweeted: “That’s about as dirty as you’ll get in the modern game from Mitch Barnett. Had to be a send off.”

Mitch Barnett is the first player sent off this season. Didn't look good

— Brad Walter (@BradWalterSport) March 26, 2022

@NRLKnights mitch Barnett should be referred straight to the judiciary
That was a dog shot! @FOXNRL#NRLPanthersKnights

— Bernie Coen (@berniecoen) March 26, 2022

Umm, that's dirt. #NRLPanthersKnights

— matt (@mattencarnacion) March 26, 2022

Knights coach Adam O’Brien told reporters in the post-match press conference: “I can’t talk about it. It’s going to the judiciary, so we will leave it.

“I tell you what Mitch doesn’t need, me coming out and kicking him publicly.

“He’s part of our family and we will deal with it behind closed doors.

“There’s no one feeling any worse than Mitch at the moment.

“We will deal with it during the week. He doesn’t need me kicking into him right now, he needs the support of his teammates.

“The angles were hard to see, it took a long time to see it. I haven’t had a good look, so I can’t talk about it.”

The Panthers ultimately secured a comfortable 38-20 victory, their third consecutive win of the 2022 season, with centre Izack Tago scoring a double.

The defending premiers will next face the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a grand final rematch at Penrith’s BlueBet Stadium on Friday, with kick-off scheduled for 8.05pm AEDT.

Originally published as ‘Absolute brain explosion’: Newcastle forward Mitch Barnett sent off for high shot