Shattered shoulder puts Barlow's playing future in question

Barlow faces surgery to a shattered AC joint and is certain to miss the rest of the troubled Dockers season after an operation as early as this week.

His early prognosis is understood to be worse than first expected after consultations with surgeons and medical experts on Saturday afternoon in Perth.

Barlow copped a heavy knock into his shoulder from small Cats forward Lincoln McCarthy just moments into the second half of a spirited clash with finals bound Geelong in Perth on Friday night.

Fiery small forward Hayden Ballantyne also looks set for a lengthy stint out of action and possibly the rest of the season with a broken cheekbone under his right eye.

A conservative estimate for Ballantyne to sit out is two to four weeks, with just six home-and-away appointments remaining in the Dockers horror season.

Barlow and Ballantyne had scans in Perth early on Saturday morning with medical assessments later into the day.

Dockers officials had not made any official statement on Barlow and Ballantyne's scan results with more formal announcements anticipated for Sunday or early into next week.

Ballantyne, 29, was whacked in his face by tough Cats defender Corey Enright early into the second term when the gutsy Dockers goal-shark slapped on a typically hefty tackle and won a holding the ball free-kick.

He bravely played out the spirited Dockers 17-point loss with his nasty swelling and blackened right cheek under his eye.

Barlow left the action straight after his collision and did not return after 17 possessions in another disciplined run-with one-on-one duel with Cats genius Patrick Dangerfield.

Recovery from surgery into the summer is expected to determine whether one of the most popular Dockers will play again next season.

It is understood medical experts fear the worst for Barlow who had only just returned from missing a fortnight with surgery to repair a broken finger he suffered in the eight-goal loss to Collingwood in Melbourne last month.

Barlow, 28, is out of contract and awaiting assessments from coach Ross Lyon and his advisors on whether the 126-game follower is offered a new deal.

Early indications from surgeons planning to perform Barlow's operation to tighten shattered soft tissue around his shoulder joint are uncertain whether the courageous follower will play again.

The Dockers have suffered a horror injury run in a disastrous season with superstar Nat Fyfe ruled out with a broken leg and top import Harley Bennell also missing the year with serious calf problems.

Champion ruckman Aaron Sandilands has also been sidelined since round three when he copped three badly broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Veteran key defender Michael Johnson has also been out of action after surgery to a hamstring tendon in his knee he damaged in the round five loss to Carlton in Perth.