It is evident in the way that he speaks about his teammates and the Club, that he will put his body on the line if it is to the benefit the Bulldogs.
While he is entering just his third year at the kennel, the history and significance of being a father-son selection resonates with him daily – and his faith in the future pegs him as a leader in years to come.
“Every day I wake up and every day I walk in here and see photos of my old man (Steve Wallis) – he was once a part of this club – and it's amazing to think how far I’ve come and how far the Club’s come,” Wallis said.
“Dad said that he had a 13 year career but he still didn’t achieve what he wanted to in 13 years.
“He said not to waste any game or any moment at training or any day that you spend at the Club… to get everything possible out of yourself, so that you do have the best chance at being successful.”
The words of advice may be clichéd, but Wallis still embraces the sentiment, however his personal interpretation goes much further than just improving his own standards.
“Hopefully [I’m] improving and developing, I do believe that I try my hardest and have a good work ethic and get the most out of my body but there’s a point in time when it has to not just be about you,” he said.
“You have to pull other people along and I want people to come along with me and improve themselves so we can be more successful.
“The main thing is just setting an example for the guys below me at this stage and then with a bit more experience, I can obviously lead others as well.”
Wearing guernsey number three, Wallis was in good company in the locker bays when he was drafted, surrounded by some of the Bulldogs’ top echelon of leaders.
The young midfielder has shown great respect towards the Club veterans and is now turning to follow suit and lead by example for the future generations.
“I was quite lucky, where my position is in the locker bay is next to Rob Murphy, Daniel Cross and Matty Boyd so I’ve got three of the most prestigious leaders sitting next to me every day,” he said.
“But mainly Crossy because I do a lot of training with him and I like his work ethic and he epitomises what it is to be a professional - you learn from the best and I probably learnt from him.”
Lining up alongside Cross in his 200th game last fortnight was an occasion that was not lost on Wallis, like captain Matthew Boyd’s milestone game the year before.
“I can remember when Crossy first started out – that’s the thing, when people are playing their milestones, even though I have only been at the Club for three years I still watched them for their 12 or 14 year career,” he said.
“He is testament to himself and how much he has gotten out of his body, to be able to run out with him and celebrate that with him was a great feeling.
“The Bulldog team was obviously the team that I barracked for, so to see players playing their milestones and me being involved in it – it is truly unbelievable to be a part of.”
Playing alongside life-long friend and fellow father-son recruit Tom Liberatore is another element that has Wallis pinching himself.
After rising through the junior ranks and perfecting a number of plays in their backyard growing up, the ability to run out in the red, white and blue and forge their professional careers together makes Wallis value his time at the Club even further.
“We probably take it for granted how lucky we are to still be playing together but we don’t want to rest on our laurels and keep it at that,” he said.
“We want to be really successful at the Bulldogs, so we still have a lot of work to do but doing it together is just an absolute bonus.
“We used to go through plays in the backyard, but for it to finally happen, you do pinch yourself like ‘wow, how far we’ve come and how quickly we have grown up’ and now we are at the Bulldogs, so it is quite amazing.”
Looking around the gym, the 20-year-old has full faith in his teammates and coaching staff alike with the direction they are heading – he knows there is a lot of hard work ahead but nothing excites him more.
“We have built a foundation and we are building a style of play that we think will hold up in finals and that takes time,” he said.
