MITCHELL Barnett reckons that if it wasn't for footy, he'd be back on his dad's farm in Wingham.
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And while the drought has bitten hard in recent times, at least the Barnett property has avoided the devastation caused this week by the bushfire disaster.
"My dad's been lucky," the Newcastle Knights back-rower said.
"Because there's basically no grass, the fire just sort of burnt itself out. But I know some people that have unfortunately lost homes, and others that came really close to losing their homes. So it's very sad, obviously.
"It's a hard time for everyone up there at the moment."
Barnett said Wingham, population a tad more than 5000, is the type of place "where everyone knows everyone".
And in such tight-knit communities, you don't think twice about lending a hand when someone is doing it tough. So at training this week, the 25-year-old mentioned to his teammates that he wanted to help.
The original idea was for players to donate clothes for bushfire victims, and that plan soon evolved into buying groceries as well.
"The boys got behind it, kicked in some money, and went to Coles or Woolworths or Aldi and bought loads of stuff," Barnett said.
"Some of the boys pretty much filled up their cars.
"Then the club got behind it on social media, and the fans started bringing in supplies. We weren't sure what response we would get, but the support from the Newcastle community has been overwhelming.
"People were dropping stuff off at the club and just leaving it overnight."
Barnett said the Knights' office staff "worked their backsides off" sorting through the logistics, then on Thursday 30-odd players and coaches loaded a semi-trailer full of provisions. Many hands make light work.
On Sunday, Barnett and teammate Josh King will drive a van load to Port Macquarie, then meet the truck on Monday for drop-offs at Wingham, Taree and Old Bar.
"Hopefully it helps those people up there a bit in getting back on their feet," said Barnett, named as Newcastle's player of the year in 2019.
Meanwhile, Saturday's Legends of League tournament at McDonald Jones Stadium will also raise funds for bushfire victims.
Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said the NSW Government will donate the stadium hiring fee paid by Legends of League organisers, plus $1 from every entry ticket, to the Salvation Army.
"I want to encourage everyone to go along to McDonald Jones Stadium this Saturday to help raise money for people impacted by these devastating fires," Lee said.
"Novocastrians always pull together and support each other in times of need."
Gold-coin donations will be also be accepted at all catering outlets on the day.
The stadium's naming-rights partner, McDonald Jones Homes, has agreed to match the NSW Government's donation dollar for dollar.