Squad No: 18
Date of birth: 26/04/81
Height: 1.87m
Weight: 97kg
Contract expires: November 2007

A lithe and athletic winger who has a fantastic strike rate in Super League, Barnett arrives at the Halliwell Jones from Hull FC in search of cementing a spot as first-choice winger. A relatively late starter in the game, Barnett was 22 when he made his Super League debut. He had been discarded by Huddersfield Giants without making a first-team appearance, and fought his way back into the professional game through National League Two, joining Gateshead Thunder in 2002 and scoring 12 tries in 34 games during his two seasons at the club. He was the first Thunder player to be sold for a fee, with Hull FC paying an appearance-linked deal worth £15,000 in order to take him to the KC Stadium in 2004. Initially tagged "Richie Barnett Junior" at Hull due to the presence of the former New Zealand captain who shares his name, he scored 23 tries in just 25 starts during his time at the club, punctuated by a brief loan spell at Widnes in 2005. A business and finance graduate, he represented Great Britain Students while at Leeds Metropolitan University.