Gold Coast won’t be underestimating rivals
INJURED Gold Coast recruit Michael Barlow says his Suns will be planning for the Western Bulldogs’ premiership best this afternoon at Cazalys Stadium.
Barlow, who fractured his leg earlier this season, travelled ahead of the team to the Far North this week and believes the Suns will not be thinking about the Bulldogs’ up-and-down 2017 campaign.
“We will be preparing for their best,” Barlow said.
“They have been a bit inconsistent this year but they showed in that final month of last season how good they can be and we will prepare for that footy.
“They play a pretty similar style to Collingwood, who we played last week, to take the game on through the corridor.
“We know they are an offensively minded team and we would have reviewed our defensive areas this week after the Collingwood loss.”
Barlow’s AFL season is over after he had surgery to repair a fractured leg suffered in the Suns’ 10-point loss to Carlton recently.
The former Fremantle midfielder also endured a horror break to the same leg in his debut season in 2010.
Barlow immediately signalled for assistance and was taken off on a stretcher.
He will spend the rest of the season watching from the stands but the on-baller cannot speak more highly of Cairns Saints junior Jack Bowes.
Bowes will play his first ever AFL game in Cairns today and Barlow is an unabashed fan of the silky midfielder.
“He is a lovely person and a great young man,” Barlow said. “He is very respectful. “His demeanour does not change from week to week depending on his performance, which is great.”