State of Origin hard man reveals why he was happy to miss the birth of his son

Mitchell Barnett has revealed why he holds no regrets about missing the birth of his second child to stay back and help his NSW teammates earlier in the State of Origin series. 

Barnett, 30, is set to debut for the Blues in the Origin decider next week and said he will have a 'good story' to tell one day after being unable to make it back to New Zealand in time for the birth of his son, Zane, six days before Origin I. 

The Warriors star was part of Michael Maguire's extended 20-man squad ahead of the series opener and sacrificed the life-changing moment to help his teammates prepare for the game, which they lost in Sydney.

'I had to leave camp and tried getting back for the birth and missed it,' Barnett told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'I was able to help my wife and son get out of hospital, get them home and get them settled.

'It was planned [birth], but I had an obligation and wanted to help the boys. I trained here and then got on a flight knowing I'd miss it. It was an opportunity here I had to take being the first time selected in the group. It will make for a great story one day.'

The Barnett family are hoping to fly over to Brisbane to watch the 30-year-old win his first Blues cap, with the second rower hopeful that Zana can join two-year-old brother Nate on the journey to Australia. 

Further explaining his decision, Barnett said: 'That's our group we've got here. 

'All the boys sacrifice things and the fans probably don't see what NRL players do on a daily basis in terms of sacrifice. They move away from family. It's a short career, so you've got to make the most of it.'

Barnett's outstanding form for the Warriors has seen him replace Haumole Olakau’atu in the 17 for the huge game at Suncorp Stadium.

He left the Newcastle Knights for the Warriors last year and said it was not an east decision. 

'[It was] Extremely tough,' he said. 'But I needed it. I knew I needed it and I just didn't want to leave. The fans were so good to me there, my family was comfortable there … it was hard.

'I've got so many good mates there I played with, and schoolmates, it was one of the toughest decisions I've ever made. But I'm so glad I did. I'm here today because of it.

'I've got a good group of boys around me at the Warriors and a coach [Andrew Webster] that believes in me. A lot of things have changed, and I know I was injured last year, but this year I've had a bit of luck with injury, touch wood. Things have fallen into place for me.'