The Wallis name is etched in the history of Whitten Oval, and yesterday that legacy continued.

Mitch Wallis, the son of Club Hall of Fame inductee Steve, signed a three-year contract extension to remain at the Dogs until at least the end of the 2021 season.

“It’s in my blood. I’ve spent so much of my family life here with dad playing,” Mitch told westernbulldogs.com.au.

“I love the direction we’re heading in.  We’ve got a great bunch of leaders as players and some really good young kids who have shown a lot and have great careers ahead of them.  I really do have the belief that we’re not far away from being at the pointy end of the season again.

“I’m excited to be able to influence that and to stick around a little longer.”

Wallis’ father, Steve, played 261 games for Footscray between 1983-1996, and 25-year-old Mitch said his ‘old man’ was one of the first people to hear the news.

“I rang dad straight away. I know how much the Club means to him,” he said.

“The fact that I’m hopefully going to be a Doggies player forever, there’s a real emotional attachment to that.  I couldn’t be happier.”

Wallis, who has played 123 games since he was drafted to the Dogs as a father-son pick in 2010, missed the 2016 premiership when he broke his leg in Round 18 that same year.

“Players around my age group have been through those ups, those downs.  (There are) all those experiences which we can impart on the younger generation and not take anything for granted,” he said.

“Having a really balanced approach to footy in terms of wins and losses, week to week, pre-seasons (is important).”

Wallis said the relationships he has formed in his eight seasons at Whitten Oval are some of his closest friendships.

“Football clubs are all about relationships, how the group interacts with the coaches and work with the fans,” he said.

“We have very special bonds, very strong ones.

“We’ve got Shane (Biggs), Clay (Smith) and Jack Redpath, who are three unbelievable characters leaving our football club, leaving our locker room, and I know that’s going to shake the group up a bit.

“(But) it’s a testament to how much buy-in we have from our players and how much they love and respect each other.”