How Mitchell Barnett battled back from spinal surgery for a NSW Blues debut in State of Origin III [Video]

Just over a year ago, NSW debutant Mitchell Barnett feared he had played his last game of football.

“I was pretty close to retiring,” Barnett recalled.

For the second time in his career, the Warriors forward suffered a neck injury that had the potential to be a career-ending one. The first occurred while playing for Newcastle in 2020. A regulation tackle with his left shoulder early that season left a stinging pain in the right one.

The issue was only corrected after a surgery described as an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, a procedure that included the insertion of a bone graft to relieve the pressure on the nerves.

With his C6 and C7 vertebrate fused together, Barnett was able to resume playing without further incident, until he was the victim of a crusher tackle against the Cowboys in round three of last year. Representing …