Barrett's reflected glory
September 15, 2006
Despite being the target of criticism when the Dragons are not going well, Trent Barrett is very much a team player, write Glenn Jackson and Brad Walter.
NOT a month after being told he was not fit to wear the Dragons crest, Trent Barrett has been lauded for making a sacrifice for that very symbol.
It may not mean a lot to Johnny Raper, the man whose criticism of Barrett cut so deep. But, to others, the sight of the Wigan-bound player darting up and down Suncorp Stadium at dummy half last Saturday night was the clear evidence Raper had got it wrong.
Barrett, the representative five-eighth, the skipper, and one of the highest-profile players in the NRL, has been shifted from his preferred position to dummy half in a real (c) change.
Not permanently, but certainly enough for a slight knock to the ego - something that has been knocked around a bit this year. But Barrett has copped it sweet.
"To Trent's credit, he's doing it for the team," said Laurie Daley, the former Test five-eighth and good friend of Barrett. "He's embraced the fact he's putting the team first.
"At the time, like everyone, he would have been a bit sceptical. But when you know what's in the best interests of the team
"
It's a move that in some way defines Barrett, an easygoing bloke from the bush who has always been prepared to put himself in the front line for the good of the team.
And while Dragons fans are quick to criticise him whenever the side isn't doing well, those who play alongside Barrett appreciate him for it.
"Possibly my two best games ever were played outside Trent Barrett so I've got a lot to thank Trent for," said former Australian and NSW captain Brad Fittler. "He's a good player, a good friend and a good bloke.
"He's had a great career and at the end of it he will walk away with his head held high. You won't hear anyone who knows him say a bad word about Trent Barrett."
You're unlikely to hear Barrett say a bad word about anyone else either - no matter how much the constant criticism hurts.
In fact, you're unlikely to hear Barrett speak at length about anything until his career at the Dragons comes to an end.
"I've just got to keep my emotions in check," Barrett told the Herald. "There's going to be a lot of time to reflect when it is all over."
No doubt when he does sit back and think about a 12-year career in which he's achieved almost everything, Barrett hopes to be able to concentrate on how he was finally able to skipper St George Illawarra to grand-final glory rather than the inevitable fall-out if the club falls short again.
Barrett has arguably paid the highest price for the Dragons' lack of premiership success and coach Nathan Brown believes Barrett is the most heavily criticised player in the competition.
"He'd probably be No.1, Braith [Anasta] would be No.2, Finchy [Brett Finch] would be No.3," Brown said.
The official face of the NRL just five years ago after being given the honour of launching the 2001 season in front of 120,000 people at Telstra Stadium, the constant criticism has prompted Barrett to seek a low profile and his agent Wayne Beavis admitted it had also played a role in his decision to finish his career at Wigan.
"It's just not Trent Barrett. The players can't go anywhere, they're not allowed to go anywhere
a bloke farts in public and he's on the front page of the paper so that's no fun," Beavis said.
"You can go to England and walk around and no one will know you. The game has become very commercial, very conink it really hurt him when it consistently comes from within. Not the Johnnyfined. Everyone takes pot shots at you, people say you can't play. It's the same for every player. Everyone has had enough of being under the microscope. It's not fun anymore."
Dragons conditioner and former captain Paul McGregor, who was there when Barrett made his debut for the Steelers against Penrith in 1996, agrees the game has changed since then.
"The players are under the scope a lot more, around football and away from football. They're in the public eye the whole time," McGregor said.
"The thing with Trent is that he can accept criticism, but I think it really hurt him when it consistently comes from within. Not the Johnny Raper thing specifically but collectively a whole lot of things that have built up."
However, Raper, arguably the most famous player to wear the red V, took the criticism of Barrett to a new level when he accused him of not "putting in", adding he did not deserve to wear the Dragons crest on his chest.
"Every time a guy of John Raper's standing in the game, being an Immortal, comes out and criticises a player
I'm sure he's taken it to heart, but he's handled himself well," Daley said.
"When people question his commitment
it's different when you're criticised for playing poorly, not being up to your usual standards. When someone says you're not having a go, that hurts."
Brown added: "I'd be lying if I said Trent wasn't disappointed. To challenge his effort, that was very disappointing for Trent."
So why is Barrett bombarded with such criticism? Brown, simply, believes it has something to do with that very crest.
"He's the captain of a club everyone expects to do well," he said.
Said Daley: "It's such a famous club. Everyone wants success straight away. Being the skipper of a high-profile club that everyone perceives to be underachievers. They always target the leaders."
Source: smh
