Zones to make football 'like netball,' says Barlow
Michael Barlow says his mum would be a fan of on-field zones but he's not
Former West Coast coach John Worsfold said on Monday introducing zones had been raised at a recent Laws of the Game committee meeting but it was considered, at this stage, an impractical solution.
Melbourne coach Paul Roos said on Tuesday that the game could no longer be called football if such a measure was introduced, and Barlow delivered an equally strong rebuke when asked what he thought of a potential zone rule on Tuesday.
"Like Netball? Mum would be happy. I hope not," Barlow said.
"I think some teams implement the congestion and the clutter a bit more than others.
"I think it's the greatest game in the world and I think the less we tamper with it the better.
"It's a unique game where there's no rules where you can stand on the field, like soccer's offside rule or netball's zones that you can and cannot enter.
"As I said it's the greatest game in the world, and the more we maintain it's originality and it's ability to have 18 on 18 competing at any one time is for the good of the game I would imagine."
Barlow believes the Dockers' midfielders owe their defenders a debt of gratitude after their 38-point win over the Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs managed 67 inside-50 entries to the Dockers 41, but kicked just six goals for the match.
"We probably got let off the hook to an extent through the Bulldogs' conversion and really from our defenders," Barlow said.
"Us, as a midfield group, need to buy the defenders a few coffees because they were outstanding early to keep us in the game. As the game got going I thought we controlled the ball quite well."
The Bulldogs also let Stephen Hill off the hook and he made them pay for electing to run with Nat Fyfe. Hill had 24 disposals and kicked four goals while Fyfe was kept to just 14 touches.
The Dockers did have some slight concerns post-match with both players suffering leg injuries during the win. Fyfe was on crutches for the plane flight home on Sunday night due to an ankle issue, but Barlow believes both men will be fine to train this week and will take their place in the side for Sunday's clash with Adelaide.
"Very much precautionary," Barlow said.
"They'll be training this week. I think they'll both be listed as 'tests' but I think we're very confident that both will be playing on Sunday."