Barlow will miss the next 4-6 weeks.
Weber said the prolific midfielder hurt the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), which he added was an unusual injury.
“Michael took a blow during a kick late in the fourth quarter,” Weber said.
“The blow came across his leg and forced the outside of his knee to flex out.
“It basically destabilises his knee, which puts a lot of pressure on the other structural elements of his knee, so it’s one we really have to respect.”
Weber said Barlow’s left knee would go into a brace for the next two weeks.
“As soon as possible, we’ll start introducing cross-training strength and then get him back into running, hopefully within the next three weeks, and then build him back into football,” he said.
With Nat Fyfe and Zac Dawson suspended, Freo will be forced into at least three changes for Friday night’s match against reigning premiers Hawthorn.
Given Peel Thunder had the bye on the weekend, the club’s WAFL players trained on Sunday.
“The session went really well,” Weber said.
“(Garrick) Ibbotson, (Zac) Clarke and (Colin) Sylvia all trained really strongly and will push for selection this week.”
Another player close to resuming is Jon Griffin, who has been out for almost a year following a knee reconstruction.
“Jon is right in the last stage of rehab now, and we’re hoping to get him up for a selection opportunity for Peel this week,” Weber said.
VIEW FULL INJURY LIST
