No one could accuse the former St George Illawarra, New South Wales and Australia superstar of being poor in his first season in England.
But his influence has probably been diluted by the infuriating inconsistency of some of his teammates.
Cometh the hour though, cometh the man.
And Barrett, a real Rolls Royce of a stand off, certainly exploded into life at Odsal last Friday.
Steve McNamara's Bulls were already looking forward to entertaining Hull or Huddersfield this weekend when they led 30-6 with less than half an hour remaining.
But Barrett promptly turned the game on its head, with Pat Richards' late drop goal sealing a stunning Wigan victory.
The best comeback in Super League history? Very probably.
For Brian Noble, as proud a Bradfordian as you could wish to find, it must have been the sweetest moment.
Having been ushered towards the Odsal exit last year, Noble may very well love his hometown club, but I doubt he harbours much affection for the people that run it.
Noble is too wily a coach to ever go overboard with his emotions in public, but it would be something of a surprise if he managed to refrain from a little victory jig in the privacy of the Wigan dressing room.
Barrett and his teammates now travel to Hull on Saturday night, with the black and whites' own chances boosted by an unexpected home advantage.
They will need it too, because if Barrett can demonstrate such majesty for a second week, it will be Wigan all the way.
The Warriors' top brass, namely messrs Lindsay and Whelan, deserve nothing but contempt their salary cap manouverings over the last 18 months.
But from a sporting standpoint, it would be a treat to see Barrett at Old Trafford next month.

THERE has been plenty of discussion this week about the scheduling of the National League One play off series.
Halifax head to Widnes tonight for a final eliminator on the back of a decidedly skimpy four day turnaround following their victory over Whitehaven on Sunday.
Widnes, by contrast, have had their feet up reading the papers since losing at Castleford a week ago.
Fair? Probably not.
Some officials, notably Whitehaven chairman Des Byrne, has responded by asking, nay demanding - I bet that will go down well at Murdoch towers, eh? - that televised matches be switched to Sunday night.
At this point, I think it's time to inject a note of realism.
The truth is that Sky's coverage of the National Leagues means the competition now has its highest ever profile, one that could reasonably be expected to continue to grow.
Bearing in mind you cannot put a price on publicity, anyone who thinks clubs outside Super League were better served by the status quo is living in a fantasy world.
Yes, the price to pay for that, at least this year, has been some dodgy fixture scheduling.
But it's one worth paying.