Local footy: Michael Barlow locked in as coach at WRFL club Yarraville-Seddon
A top-flight Western Region Football League club has secured a coaching coup, with a man who spent nine years at the elite level appointed to the top job for the next two years.
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Yarraville-Seddon’s bid to establish itself in the Western Region Football League’s top flight has received a significant boost with ex-AFL midfielder Michael Barlow putting pen to paper on a two-year deal as coach.
Barlow was a playing assistant at VFL club Werribee last year after a nine-year AFL career that took in 141 games with Fremantle and Gold Coast.
The 32-year-old replaces Chris Atkins, who departed the Eagles because of personal reasons without leading them in an official match after the 2020 campaign was canned amid the coronavirus crisis.
Yarraville-Seddon made four consecutive Division 2 grand finals from 2016-2019, earning promotion last year.
Club president Rick Halliwell said the Eagles’ impressive stable of youth in the senior ranks and burgeoning junior program helped attract Barlow, who will also take on a director of coaching role.
He said the Division 1 outfit was “very, very fortunate” to secure Barlow’s signature.
“We’re still sticking to our three-year plan. It’s definitely a focus to develop our kids,” Halliwell said.
“That was the whole idea of trying to get a coach of Michael’s calibre to coming on board and have a massive impact with our under-16s, 14s and even under-12s … and create pathways and opportunities for these kids.
“There’s probably no better person that has forged his own pathway to play at the elite level than Michael himself.
“It will be our first year up in Division 1 – taking this year away – it will definitely be a good challenge.”
“It’s a whole club outlook basically – senior coaching but also director of coaching. He will add a lot of value to our club.”
Big-bodied midfielder Barlow will also be a key addition for the Eagles on the field.
The Shepparton United product caught the eye of AFL recruiters at state league level as a young player despite not coming through AFL Victoria’s under-18 competition.
He was named in the VFL Team of the Year in 2008 and 2009, while he also claimed Werribee’s best and fairest and the league’s Fothergill-Round Medal for the best young player in 2009.
Barlow joins fellow former AFL player Andrejs Everitt, who bagged 40 goals from 16 games for the club in 2019.
Reigning best-and-fairest Brandon Lester, Lachie Huell, Jack Webster and Blake Green are among the young guns at Yarraville-Seddon’s disposal and will no doubt walk taller with two stars playing alongside them.
Halliwell said the Eagles were set to make more key signings in coming days.
“Michael will walk on building the group around him and his assistants,” he said.
“I know he’s already in that process talking to people, so it’s a really exciting time for Yarraville.
“We needed some exciting news after this year was called off. So we don’t lose kids and keep kids involved in football, it was a high priority getting the right person on board. We couldn’t be happier.
“We’ll do a list review in the next week or two and work through that.
“We have got a strong under-18 junior program. I think consolidation and working with those kids first to see if there are opportunities (will be a priority).”
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