Barney was first introduced to Wheelchair rugby in 2009 following a chat with Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie at the NZ Artificial Limb Centre. He became interested in the physicality of Wheelchair rugby and after attending his first practice, he fell in love with the sport.
Barney was a late addition to the Wheel Blacks squad who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games – the team’s first Paralympics since 2008. He was in terrific try-scoring form throughout the Wheel Blacks’ campaign, including notching a memorable 23 tries in the teams opening game against the USA. The team placed 8th overall and gained valuable experience to build on for their journey to Paris 2024.
