For Barnett, now in his fourth and final season at the Warriors after joining from the Newcastle Knights, being part of the club\u2019s haka was a reflection of the club\u2019s all-in approach to culture.<\/p>\n
James Fisher-Harris and Mitchell Barnett celebrate after the Warriors’ win over the Panthers. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great spectacle tonight,\u201d he said. \u201cI just want to touch on [being] the first team to perform a haka in front of an NRL game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought it was a really cool moment for the club. Bringing [Fisher-Harris] in has brought a lot of the culture stuff. We\u2019ve got one of the most diverse cultures; we\u2019ve got people from here, there and everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them to include us in that tonight, where we got to stand behind them and they put a guard around us, just showed the connection between squad member one to the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great night for the club all round.\u201d<\/p>\n
To make the occasion all the better, the Warriors\u2019 on-field display was just as powerful, holding off a late Panthers\u2019 comeback to claim a 28-12 victory<\/a> over the NRL table-toppers.<\/p>\n Fisher-Harris was key in on and off-field displays. Since returning to Aotearoa at the start of 2025 after more than a decade in Australia, the 30-year-old has been open about the want to reconnect with his culture.<\/p>\n And as a club co-captain, as well as being the skipper of the Kiwis at test level, it was Fisher-Harris who was instrumental in making sure every member of the club was involved, regardless of where they were born.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one thing I love about Fish and even the New Zealand culture, they embrace everyone,\u201d Barnett said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a conversation we\u2019ve had to have \u2013 there was no choice, which was cool.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re brothers at the end of the day. Being Australian and coming over here, it\u2019s nice to have that inclusion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a special moment.\u201d <\/p>\n