Barlow?s best to come up forward

[ScottH]

Barlow?s best to come up forward

Ed Barlow is ready to hold down a spot in the Swans? forward line in 2009

[magic.merkin]

"If" he gets a regular game this season then our forward line should be:

HF: Okeefe Hall Barlow
F: O'Loughlin White Vez

[dimelb]

"After last year, I was pretty disappointed with my injuries and I was down on confidence. That was our third game ? including the intra-club match ? so I think my confidence is growing each game and hopefully it will continue to grow."
And that, I think, is the key for Cheese. On what I've seen so far he seems very much a confidence player. Nothing wrong with that, Mickey O's done OK, but I hope he can learn to work on confidence and not just wait for it to happen.

[Robbo]

I called this last year. The only way Barlow has any chance of becoming an AFL footballer is if he plays up forward.

[AnnieH]

He's tall ... that's something I suppose.

Is he a "good" marker, or a bit of a fumbler like Blind Barry?

[Cardinal]

Not at the expense of Playfair

[Plugger46]

If it's at the expense of Playfair then I'll be happy enough.

Not sure about Barlow - looked very soft on Saturday. His best chance to make it, is probably as a forward though.

[kangle4]

i thought he played pretty well up forward against melborune the other day

[573v30]

I don't think he can cut as Goodes Mark II but as a KPP (particularly a forward), build up confidence and we'll have a really good player in the making.

[31 hard at it]

An OK game against Melbourne does not provide a rating that would register on any success scale as yet.

The pressure against teams that are a little more advanced will show if the hardness and skill is there.

As he says "it's a crucial year".

To a large extent we need players like Cheese to step up this year or the slippery slope of a mediocre year will be all we talk about as rebuilding starts.

Bird, Ves, Moore and Smith need to step up and be seen as league players not just cameos every 4 weeks.

[Nico]

It's Ed's turn this week for the fluff story. Who will be next week?

While I am happy to be proved wrong I doubt he will be much more than a fill in forward. As the old timers used to say about Graeme John; "he looks over his shoulder far too much".

His type are far better at playing straight ahead footy.

[Nico]

If it's at the expense of Playfair then I'll be happy enough.

Not sure about Barlow - looked very soft on Saturday. His best chance to make it, is probably as a forward though.

You may have got it right when you sent me a text in his very first NAB/Challenge Cup match that went something like this; "how bad is that Ed Barlow, he is a shocker".

[Dalai Lama]

he can take over from Barrice after his first "brain fade" and 7 week suspension this year?

[johnno]

...so? am I putting him back into my dreamteam or not?

[CJK]

No (if you want to do well).