RIP Robert Walls

[BornInDroopSt'54]

My goodness, assisted dying in the name of saving his wife grief, my heart weeps sincerely.
A brave man as a footballer, coach and husband.
Respect to you Robert and family.
A reminder of our mortality.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

At the age of 8 or 9 as a young Fitzroy tragic I wrote a letter to Robert listing the team I’d pick for that week. Absolute dumb primary school nuffy kid stuff. A week or two later, I received a handwritten letter from Robert thanking me for my suggestions among a page long reply. Absolutely wonderful stuff from him that he didn’t need to do, that earnt my lifelong respect. I’m sure he was a hard arse as a coach and not universally loved but that act suggests the character of the man.
Vale Robert and thank you.

Thank you, a great football story about Robert and you.
My measley youngish letter was to Beasley after seeing him in a practice match and he missed a sitter. I suggested he will get better with Dougie feeding him.
He didn't reply but became very accurate and is alive still.
Vale Robert, I'll remember your letter Underdog.
My son played for Fitzroy U/9s in#29, Gary Wilson's number. Playing Camberwell away, Gary Pert was Camperwells runner, haha, his boy playing.
My boy has no idea who the two Garys were.

[azabob]

Was that at the Grey Smith Cafe? He was a regular there

No. George St cafe. Would be outside with his dog. Both cafes very close to each other.

[Sedat]

At the age of 8 or 9 as a young Fitzroy tragic I wrote a letter to Robert listing the team I’d pick for that week. Absolute dumb primary school nuffy kid stuff. A week or two later, I received a handwritten letter from Robert thanking me for my suggestions among a page long reply. Absolutely wonderful stuff from him that he didn’t need to do, that earnt my lifelong respect. I’m sure he was a hard arse as a coach and not universally loved but that act suggests the character of the man.
Vale Robert and thank you.

Where did you have Lee Murnane selected?

Wallsy was an excellent player, coach and media commentator. Not too many have been adept at all 3. Condolences to his family and friends.

[The Underdog]

Where did you have Lee Murnane selected?

Wallsy was an excellent player, coach and media commentator. Not too many have been adept at all 3. Condolences to his family and friends.

Mate he would have been in there. Rossy Thornton, Mork Harris, Graeme Hinchen, Grant Lawrie, all best 22.

[Sedat]

Mate he would have been in there. Rossy Thornton, Mork Harris, Graeme Hinchen, Grant Lawrie, all best 22.

Lee Murnane had a sensational first year in 1981 as a 21 yo. He would have won the Rising Star if the award existed back then, and as a bonus he would have been the only player in history to win it with male pattern baldness.

[Bigdog]

Always thought he was a fair commentator. Recall he was part of the hiring process for eade. RIP

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Mate he would have been in there. Rossy Thornton, Mork Harris, Graeme Hinchen, Grant Lawrie, all best 22.

Paul Roos went alright.
Him Pert and who else was it that were recruited in the same year?
Osborne!

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Lee Murnane had a sensational first year in 1981 as a 21 yo. He would have won the Rising Star if the award existed back then, and as a bonus he would have been the only player in history to win it with male pattern baldness.

He had a combe over, haha, like Bartlett who looked like Steptoe's dad.
Male pattern it may be but your mother gives it to you, it's a female genome inherited from her father, who may or may not manifest it.
Ironical and I have it.
Robert Walls kept his hair and is like my old mate, same stature and look, that I played in VAFA with, me wing, he CHB.
Footy bros.

[Bornadog]

I respected Walls but :

Link

2004: Go now, Libba, if you did it

Robert Walls

AFL columnist May 15, 2025 — 11.55am

This opinion piece by The Age’s late columnist Robert Walls was first published on April 9, 2004.

If Tony Liberatore was responsible for the felling of Matthew Knights 100 metres off the ball at the MCG on Saturday, then he should give the game away.

And, if he was responsible and feels the need to soldier on, then his club should do him a favour and insist that he retire.

If Liberatore caused the split in Knight’s forehead, then it has to be the last straw in a list of unsavoury incidents that have sullied the Brownlow medallist’s past few seasons.

There has been much to admire about Liberatore’s career. He has had to fight the odds to survive, but in recent years it has been sad to see him desperately clinging to a career that he knows is slipping away fast.

His coach, Terry Wallace, has kept him on the knife-edge. Perhaps Wallace thinks this is the best way to get some value from Liberatore. But what price do you put on sledging and scraping?

If Liberatore split the unsuspecting Knight’s head open, then he has become a pathetic figure on our football fields. Knights being split open in the thick of the action is far more acceptable. Being in the contest you expect the whacks to come. But, if he was felled 100 metres away from the contest, then Knights, his wife, his young son and the game itself deserve much better. Tony Liberatore.Credit:Jack Atley
Even Liberatore’s Bulldog teammates must be sick and tired of continually defending him when retaliation occurs. Of course, publicly they would never say so, but in recent years I’m sure Chris Grant, Brad Johnson, Scott West and Rohan Smith would much prefer to be playing the fine football they are capable of rather than be forced to fly the flag for a teammate who too often stirs the pot.

If Liberatore did a job on Knights, you can only hope that his conscience forces him to have a real strong think about where he stands in the football world.

Life goes on, way beyond his present 35 years. He needs to reflect on the good times, the respect, the camaraderie that football has given him.

But, if he continues on the way he has in recent years, resorting to dirty deeds to hang on to a place in the team, then it will be blood-stained money that he takes. And that, for Tony Liberatore, would be a sad, undignified way to end a career.

That Knights incident was explained by Libba snr - it wasn't something Libba sought out to do. I was there that day. A brawl started, and Knights came running in, Libba only saw a figure running towards him in the corner of his eye, and lifted his elbow to protect himself, caught Knights on the forehead - an area on the face that bleeds easily. Blood everywhere, which looked worse than it was.

[Bornadog]

But he played it fair as well.

2003: To Rohan, Barass and Knightsy – I’m sorry

Robert Walls


This opinion piece by The Age’s late columnist Robert Walls was first published on May 23, 2003.

I let Western Bulldogs dasher Rohan Smith down last week. I regret what I did and wish I could turn back time, but that can’t happen. With me as “special comments” man with 3AW, we covered last Sunday’s Carlton-Bulldogs game. An apology to Bulldog Rohan Smith.Credit:Pat Scala
During the second quarter, Carlton forward Adrian Hickmott was forced to leave the field with blood trickling from his forehead. I didn’t see what happened. Two people near me, who were not members of the commentary team, assured me that Rohan Smith had bitten Hickmott. They had watched replays of the pair rolling on the ground on a TV monitor. Irresponsibly, I said on air that “there could have been a bite involved in Hickmott’s leaving the field”. I didn’t mention Smith’s name, but I didn’t have to for the finger to be pointed at him.

Two days after the game, the AFL held an investigation into why Hickmott left the field. The investigation didn’t last long as it was obvious there was no case to answer.

That same morning Rohan rang me to express his disappointment at what I had said on radio. I’m glad he called as he had every right to. The bottom line for me is, learn a lesson, and that is, think before you speak and don’t go on hearsay. I have apologised to Rohan and regret the pressure I put upon him.

Football, being a very public, competitive, emotional business, inevitably leads to some poor decisions being made and regrets do follow. Sometimes our greatest regrets are for things we didn’t do.

I regret not belting Ian Stewart when he, after his first game as coach of Carlton, told me, the captain, that I hadn’t tried. He’d been there two minutes, me 12 years. I’d bled for the navy Blues, he hadn’t. That I didn’t give him one still rankles.

I regret not playing 300 games. It is an achievement that less than one per cent of AFL players attain. Those who do are in a class of their own. They have passed the severest of tests.

I regret that I gave Peter Knights an ankle tap. The game was in the ’70s at Glenferrie Oval. For years the fair Hawk with the fair hair had the better of me. In frustration, I put the slipper into his ankle. It wasn’t a vicious kick, but it was unnecessary and unfair. At the time I thought about writing a letter of apology, but never did. I regret not inviting Ron Barassi to my 21st birthday party. For five years, Barassi had coached me at Carlton. He was tough and uncompromising. But he was also the best coach a kid could ever wish to have - something I didn’t appreciate until years later. Under Barassi I’d played in three grand finals and two premierships by the age of 20. But by age 21, I’d had a gutful of the man who demanded so much. So in a fit of pique I didn’t invite him to my 21st.

I regret not grabbing the Carlton captaincy by the horns when I was given the opportunity in the ’70s.

For a six-year period, Alex Jesaulenko and I shared the captaincy. We both had two stints at the job. Jezza had his supporters in the playing group, while I had mine. Choosing not to ruffle feathers, I took a low-key approach when chosen as captain by the match committee. Looking back, I should have demanded more of myself and the playing group I led.

Finally, I regret not letting the Carlton players I coached in the ’80s know that I had a sense of humour. For nearly four years, the players were driven by a success-obsessed coach who didn’t know when to ease up. Fortunately, as the years have rolled by, I’ve been able to enjoy the company of many of those players who have seen another side to the old tyrant.

So, regrets? Yes, I’ve had a few. I guess the main thing is to learn from them, and to have fewer still as experience and wisdom kick in.