Mitch Barnett to stay with Newcastle until the end of 2023 following new deal

The Knights have re-signed reigning player of the year Mitch Barnett on a new deal that will make him one of the club’s longest serving players of recent years.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Mitchell Barnett of the Knights runs the ball during the round 23 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the Newcastle Knights at Panthers Stadium on August 18, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)

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Mitch Barnett arrived at the Knights with his career at the crossroads.

Now the club’s reigning player of the year has inked a deal until the end of 2023 – joining David Klemmer with the longest current contract at the club.

It is a remarkable rise for the 25-year-old who added three years to his current deal which expired at the end of next year.

He joined Newcastle in 2016 after just two top grade games with the Raiders.

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Barnett will be a Knight until the end of 2023. Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images.

“I came here for an opportunity,” Barnett said. “I believe I’ve taken it. The plan was to come here and put my best foot forward. The way Browny (ex-coach Nathan Brown) and the club looked after me – they made me feel at home straight away. Since Browny has left, the club has continued in that way. I came here with an open mind but I have loved hanging around.

“It’s close to where our families are so it was an easy decision in the end. I have considered it home for a while. In terms of the community, I love the place. The club makes me feel at home. It’s an honour to play for the Knights.”

Barnett thrived under Brown cementing himself as a top-line player who has played 77 top grade games. The contract extension shows the immediate impact he has had on new coach Adam O’Brien who is yet to decide if the back-rower will return to the middle or play on an edge. Regardless, Barnett will be picked in the starting 13 when the Knights play their first game of the season against the Warriors.

Barnett joined the Knights in 2016. AAP Image/Darren Pateman.

“I sat down with Adam pretty much straight away,” Barnett said. “We got it really clear what he thinks of me. What my role is will decide on how boys go in pre-season. Wherever it is, it will be nothing I haven’t done before. I’m looking forward to the season.

“There is a different feel. With the new voice there is that unknown of coming to training. We don’t know what we’re walking into every day.

“It’s like you’re going back to school or a starting at a new one. You can see it on all the boys faces, we train hard and we love it.

“I’m very confident in what the new season will bring. It’s only early but we’re training hard. It’s exciting and I’m enjoying it.”

Originally published as Mitch Barnett to stay with Newcastle until the end of 2023 following new deal