Brave Barlow bounces back

By Justin Robertson
AARON BARLOW might just get the fairytale ending he’s been craving.
Up until last week the 32-year-old had been playing in the reserves and this week’s grand final will mark only his second senior game of football this year, his third since 2000.
The Narre Warren ruckman has had to overcome a mixed bag of personal injuries to earn a place in football’s biggest day.
In 2001, Barlow required a knee reconstruction after hurting himself in match against Chelsea. He stopped playing football altogether and moved to Perth for a few years for work. In 2005 he was back at Narre and played half a year in the reserves, but knew his knee was not right.
In 2008, after confirming the first graft had not taken, he had another knee reconstruction.
“After that, I did all the rehab and it started to feel strong again,” Barlow said. “I started running, then pre-season came along and I thought I’d go down and have a run with the boys and basically just see how I went.”
He didn’t miss one day of the gruelling pre-season program but suffered a minor setback during a senior practise match against Noble Park.
“The knee was feeling good and I was feeling real fit,” Barlow said. “ But I somehow managed to pop my shoulder out which was a nice welcome return to football.”
After a quick recovery his return to football and career almost came to a screeching halt after straining his medial ligament against ROC in round seven.
“When I did that I thought that was it,” Barlow said. “I thought I probably should stop while I’m ahead.”
Initially Barlow thought he would require yet another knee reconstruction which would ultimately end his football career, but after consulting his surgeon, he got confirmation that his 2008 graft was still strong and was given a six week rehabilitation program, eight weeks out from finals.
“There were no guarantees, just give it a crack and see what happens,” he said.
Barlow said wife Jodie, three-year-old son, Zac, and two-month-old Aiden are three reasons why he’s playing football today.
“They’ve all been great supporters of me, all through my knee operations,” he said. “ It’s great to have my son come watch me play as well, he really enjoys it.”
After playing the final two rounds in the reserves, Barlow has gone unscathed for almost a month and is priming himself for a big day on football’s biggest stage and would want nothing more but to repay the club that has stood by him with a dominating performance this week.
“Everything feels fine now, but half way through the year I was like, ‘what am I doing’. Now I’m glad I stuck with it,” he said.
“I just want to get out there and enjoy it, it’s just rewarding in itself coming back and playing in a grand final, it’s been worth it and I’m glad I got through the year.”