Unique of the Week: Michael Barlow

[TheAnt]

(One of my articles from SC Paige)

Since breaking his leg mid-way through his incredible first season at the dockers, it’s been a gruelling 24 months for Michael Barlow. Early after the season had ended for the dockers, Barlow admitted he had to play through pain at times to strengthen his leg, and that he barely trained at times in the first half of the season. He sought advice from Michael Voss and Nathan Brown, who also both broke one of their legs. Now, after that, he’s gone through his paces in a full pre-season and is looking as fit as he has since the break. It’s time to consider Michael Barlow again as a fantasy option.

Michael Barlow


Price: $509,500
Position: Midfield
SuperCoach Average in 2012: 95.2
Average from rounds 16-23: 102.6

Key Stats:
- Averaged 24.4 disposals a game in 2012
- Averaged 27.8 disposals a game in 2010
- Ranked 20th in total handballs
- Ranked 13th in total tackles
- 0.3 goals a game in 2012, 1.2 in 2010
- Ranked 1st at Fremantle for disposals

Consistency Rating: 14 (Elite!)

Why Barlow isn’t being considered by most:

No one wants to touch someone with a broken leg; most of the time in a literal sense, but it’s a common theme in fantasy sports. A player with a 95.2 average is a very awkward position to put a coach in. At that price, you’d be banking for premium output, not stock standard 90′s and 100′s. Just looking at the other options at that price range would also put doubt in the back of many peoples minds, even from Fremantle itself. David Mundy, Nat Fyfe, Andrew Gaff,  Luke Shuey, Daniel Rich and the list of potential breakout players just goes on and on.

It’s sad to say but there is a chance that Barlow’s first season will be his best, it’s important to reiterate that returning from a broken leg is a very difficult task. Even a return to near 2010 form probably won’t see him land in the top 10 midfielders in 2013. The risk is just too high for most players. Despite his terrific consistency he struggled to score big and he struggled to score proficiently in SuperCoach, his scores were lower compared to AFL Fantasy. In 2010, he was going at an elite disposal efficiency of 70.5%! However in 2012 it was a measly 62.7%, despite his clearance count only going up by .3. He is just as capable however of going big.

Why Barlow should be considered:

Great continuity, great consistency, excellent ceiling, potentially under-priced. Most breakout or unique players that coaches talk about have 1 or 2 of those factors, Barlow has all 4. I must admit, I was surprised when I saw that Barlow played every single game for Fremantle in 2012, albeit with two sub games at the start of the year. It showed that despite Barlow’s pain, he battled through and this is important because it gave him the game-time required to have a full on launch towards the 2013 season with a full pre-season under his belt.

Remember that he is also 25, at the prime time to become a vital player for Freo, particularly if they have top four aspirations this year. Form is temporary, class is permanent, and Barlow has class written all over him. At his best he was right up with the elite; a goal kicking, smooth moving, tackling machine.

Barlow also put in a damn impressive NAB cup showing on the weekend, looking as though he moved freely without restriction. In the game against Geelong, Barlow proved he could match it with Geelong’s elite, and finished the game with 15 touches, three clearances and two inside 50′s for an impressive first up effort.

Key Information:

Barlow was ranked 6th in average points per game in 2010, which tells you enough about Barlow’s talent. He also ranked 5th in goal assists, an impressive stat for a midfielder. He’s gone from averaging 116, to 83.6 to 95.2, so while he’s on the way up, it’s not as steep as his drop was. He played every single game and an incredible consistency rating of 14! However, he didn’t score highly with top scores of 122, 117 and 111. This would be conducive with a low-ceiling player but as mentioned previously Barlow does have a high ceiling, despite what his 2012 said.

Verdict:

Not for me just at this stage, it’s hard to pick Barlow when he only scored twice above his average in 2012. He’s neither a cash cow, or a premium. In a position like the midfield, the max risk you probably should go is one player, and it’s very hard to over look players like Fyfe, Rich, Gaff and Mundy in which Barlow is competing with, within that price bracket.

Risk Rating:

6/10