Barlow was originally from Tathra, New South Wales, representing his state in the under-15s which made him eligible for the Swans' pre-listing.
[1] His debut came in round 20 against the Brisbane Lions and he gathered 18 possessions in a match that ended in a 9.9 (63) – 8.15 (63) draw.
[4] Barlow made his debut for the dogs in round 12 2011 against the saints at Etihad Stadium, then was amongst the best the next week against Adelaide at the same venue.
On 1 March 2012, he ended weeks of speculation by signing with the Wangaratta Magpies in the Ovens and Murray Football League.
[5] In February 2017, Ed accepted a position within the University of Queensland's Master of Psychology (Sport) program as a provisional psychologist.