Despite playing 141 games at the elite level, Michael Barlow reckons his guest appearance for Shepparton United at the weekend has been one of the toughest to recover from.
The ex-AFL midfielder returned to play a one-off match for his junior club in its round 11 Goulburn Valley League defeat against premiership fancy Seymour.
Barlow, the current senior coach for VFL outfit Werribee, had every reason to wake up a bit worse for wear on Sunday.
The gun talent had a severe case of leather poisoning as he collected a whopping 43 disposals ― the highest by any player this season ― 17 contested possessions, 12 clearances, nine score involvements, seven inside 50s and 135 ranking points.
Not a bad return for a retired 35-year-old.
“I loved it, I genuinely loved it. I had a lot of fun,” Barlow said.
“I sort of went in knowing that it would probably be my last game for United, so I just approached it with a mindset of going out there and enjoying the day. I’ve obviously got a strong connection with the club and I promised them I’d try get out there for a run.
“It was a good feeling of nostalgia. I actually wore the same number from when I played in ’06 and ’07 which was pretty cool.”
By the numbers Michael Barlow v Seymour, round 11
Disposals: 43
Contested possessions: 17
Clearances: 12
Inside 50s: 7
Score involvements: 9
Tackles: 4
Barlow roamed Deakin Reserve with the same skill of yesteryear.
A highlight of his day came during the first quarter where the former Fremantle and Gold Coast on-baller marked on half-back and swivelled around to lace up a teammate with a 40m kick in the centre square which resulted in a score.
His feats are that little bit more impressive knowing that he doesn’t train or play on a regular basis due to his VFL coaching commitments.
“I don’t train any more, coaching takes up most of my time ... I try and run about 40km a week though, but that’s as rough as I have pulled up for a game of footy for as long as I can remember,” he said with a laugh.
“I sort of wanted to go into self preservation mode a little bit, not back into any packs or go too hard around contests, but quickly I found myself going 100 per cent.”
As well as providing his playing services on the field, Barlow was able to pass off some knowledge to the next generation of Demons.
United coach Duane Hueston highlighted on Sunday that Barlow’s direction and voice was invaluable to the squad.
Barlow, who has Werribee placed third on the ladder, gave some insight into how he approaches his role at the stand-alone VFL outfit.
“It’s all going well, it’s my third year now and people often say you find out what type of coach you are by that third year,” he said.
“In your first couple of seasons you sort of coach in a style that’s similar to how you were coached by former mentors and you still utilise those methods to an extent, but now I see myself putting my own spin on things. It’s pretty important to just trust your instincts.
“I think Huey (Hueston) is doing a fantastic job from what I saw.”
“Despite them taking it right up to a quality team in Seymour, he wasn’t content with that and he kept challenging the group. I played 12 months ago and saw the club investing in its juniors and I think they’re starting to see green shoots sprout now.”
And will Barlow make another surprise visit in 2024?
At the moment he believes that won’t be the case.
Yet, he’s one to never say never.
“I was pretty lucky that the stars all sort of aligned for me with Werribee having the bye and what not,” he said.
“I have a pretty busy lifestyle with coaching Werribee and my work in the media. I know I’m probably not doing the team any justice in rocking up and playing ... never say never I always say, but I think that will probably be the last one.”
If the loss to Seymour does turn out to be Barlow’s final appearance in United colours, he certainly did save one of his best performances for last.