bornadog
04-06-2015, 05:27 PM
Link (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-06-04/being-a-bulldog-is-in-the-blood-says-mitch-wallis)
http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/WesternBulldogs/Photo%20Galleries/2015%20-%20Galleries/NAB%203%20-%20WB%20v%20COLL/362922-tlsnewsportrait.jpg
IN-FORM and out of contract at season's end, Western Bulldogs midfielder Mitch Wallis can't see himself playing at any other club.
The 22-year-old had a career-best game in the Dogs' round nine win over GWS, and says he'll be putting pen to paper sooner rather than later.
"I'm really keen on playing here next year and beyond, and (my contract) will take care of itself in the coming weeks and hopefully get signed as soon as possible," Wallis told AFL.com.au.
"(My form) coincides with it pretty well, but I really love the club, I want to play here, I want to see my playing days out here."
Predominately played as a tagger during his 62 senior games, Wallis has found more balance in 2015, and his newfound attacking flair was no more evident than against the Giants.
He walked away from Etihad Stadium with a career- and game-high 36 possessions, the scalp of his former skipper Ryan Griffen, and equal top billing with Easton Wood in the AFL Coaches Award votes.
"I had a fair influence on the game and hopefully I can get a bit of momentum from here, do well again this week and hopefully finish off the year really strongly," Wallis said.
"There was a fair bit of interest going into the game and we did keep him (Griffen) quiet and he didn’t have his best game.
"I'm really enjoying the freedom and playing a more attacking role."
And when his life-long friend and fellow contested ball monster Tom Liberatore returns from his season-ending knee injury, Wallis believes he'll be an even better player.
"We'll compliment each other; he's probably the best inside midfielder in the game and I was really looking forward to playing alongside him," Wallis said.
"And 'Bevo' (Luke Beveridge) has got a lot of us playing midfield and forward, so we need to be flexible."
Another role Wallis is also embracing is leadership, and he needs to as one of only 11 Bulldogs with more than 50 games of experience.
And if his form line continues to soar, he's every chance to emulate his father Steve and captain the club he loves.
"Demographically I'm a senior player at the moment with the amount of senior experience I do have," Wallis said.
"It's something I really enjoy, something I want to keep developing and keep learning off the awesome leaders we have.
"If it (the captaincy) came my way one day, I'd grab it with both hands, it's in the blood."
http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/WesternBulldogs/Photo%20Galleries/2015%20-%20Galleries/NAB%203%20-%20WB%20v%20COLL/362922-tlsnewsportrait.jpg
IN-FORM and out of contract at season's end, Western Bulldogs midfielder Mitch Wallis can't see himself playing at any other club.
The 22-year-old had a career-best game in the Dogs' round nine win over GWS, and says he'll be putting pen to paper sooner rather than later.
"I'm really keen on playing here next year and beyond, and (my contract) will take care of itself in the coming weeks and hopefully get signed as soon as possible," Wallis told AFL.com.au.
"(My form) coincides with it pretty well, but I really love the club, I want to play here, I want to see my playing days out here."
Predominately played as a tagger during his 62 senior games, Wallis has found more balance in 2015, and his newfound attacking flair was no more evident than against the Giants.
He walked away from Etihad Stadium with a career- and game-high 36 possessions, the scalp of his former skipper Ryan Griffen, and equal top billing with Easton Wood in the AFL Coaches Award votes.
"I had a fair influence on the game and hopefully I can get a bit of momentum from here, do well again this week and hopefully finish off the year really strongly," Wallis said.
"There was a fair bit of interest going into the game and we did keep him (Griffen) quiet and he didn’t have his best game.
"I'm really enjoying the freedom and playing a more attacking role."
And when his life-long friend and fellow contested ball monster Tom Liberatore returns from his season-ending knee injury, Wallis believes he'll be an even better player.
"We'll compliment each other; he's probably the best inside midfielder in the game and I was really looking forward to playing alongside him," Wallis said.
"And 'Bevo' (Luke Beveridge) has got a lot of us playing midfield and forward, so we need to be flexible."
Another role Wallis is also embracing is leadership, and he needs to as one of only 11 Bulldogs with more than 50 games of experience.
And if his form line continues to soar, he's every chance to emulate his father Steve and captain the club he loves.
"Demographically I'm a senior player at the moment with the amount of senior experience I do have," Wallis said.
"It's something I really enjoy, something I want to keep developing and keep learning off the awesome leaders we have.
"If it (the captaincy) came my way one day, I'd grab it with both hands, it's in the blood."