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Mitchell Barnett could barely drive and feared he may struggle to play with his son in the future after neck injuries in 2023. Now he's set for a NSW debut.

Mitchell Barnett has gone from crippling pain while driving and fearing rugby league retirement to a dream State of Origin debut in the game's greatest cauldron.

And he's done it all in the space of one year.

Barnett will on Wednesday night become the Blues' eighth debutant of this series, admitting even he is surprised to be called into a winning side.

In doing so, the Warriors forward will also become one of only three NSW players to debut in a Suncorp Stadium series decider this century.

But the 30-year-old has vowed nothing will intimidate him in the next week, with Wednesday's debut just part of his dramatic rugby league story.

And with good reason.

It was only last year Barnett feared his time in the NRL was up, as he battled with a second neck injury that limited his ability to drive and play with his son.

After first undergoing neck surgery after a tackle left him in agony in 2020, the neck pain returned last March when he was the victim of a crusher tackle.

"I was in a lot of pain," Barnett said.

"Some of the advice I was getting from surgeons was probably pushing me that way (towards retirement).

"I wrestled with it, because I was training every day and it just wasn't getting better.

"It was impacting my life off the field with the pain ... Even just turning left and right driving a car."

For more than five weeks, Barnett was unsure if he would ever play again as scans showed up different results.

Eventually, it was clear an initial fusion had not worked, and a large gap remained between two vertebrae.

Barnett underwent a second surgery, with more bone growth now allowing them to be fused and the pain to be alleviated.

"I was living a day at a time, every time I thought about (life without footy) I wasn't in a good head space," Barnett said.

"This is an extreme case, but you always want to be able to play with your kids. I was thinking about that at the time.

"But once I got over the initial decision I was safe to play rugby league, that changed my mind in an instant."

Barnett's fight back from neck pain is only half his story.

Released by Newcastle in 2022 while serving a monster ban for an elbow to Penrith's Chris Smith, Barnett has turned his life and football around at the Warriors.

He has since become one of the NRL's leading forwards, with his ability to play middle or edge helping earn him NSW selection.

"It actually wasn't that incident (that prompted my turnaround) ... it was happening before then," Barnett said.

"I don't want to create any conflict (in what I say), but to go to a club and have a coach who believes in me and really love what I bring to the table helped.

"The other thing is having kids, finally wanting to grow up and mature.

"I just didn't want to be known for (what I was). I felt like I always had more to give to the game."

Meanwhile, the Blues announced on Friday that Luke Keary, a member of the extended squad, had pulled out of NSW's game three build-up due to an unspecified injury.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who missed game two with suspension, takes his place.