When Tom Liberatore ruptured his ACL in the Club’s first NAB Challenge game of 2015, it left a gaping hole in a still young and developing midfield. Enter Mitch Wallis.
It was just one game into first year coach Luke Beveridge’s career and he was faced with having to manage the absence of arguably his team’s best player and reigning best and fairest winner.
Wallis was regarded as a run with player in 2014, albeit a very good one, and a key ingredient of the Bulldogs emerging midfield troupe before a foot injury cut his season short in round 18.
But the combination of Beveridge’s attacking game plan and Liberatore’s absence provided the 23 year old Wallis with a new challenge and he grasped it with both hands, averaging 23 touches, four tackles and three marks per contest in 2015, including a career-high 36 disposals against the Giants in round nine.
Wallis capped off the year finishing atop the Bulldogs leader board in the AFL Coaches Association player of the year award voting, emerging as one of the competition’s most promising young talents.
Ever the team man, when asked if the valuable experience he and others gained in the middle after Liberatore went down could be seen as a silver lining, all he wanted to talk about was how excited he was by the 2014 Sutton Medallist’s return.
“Libba’s a gun player, he was one of our best players, he’s a best and fairest winner and the quicker he’s back playing and on the track with us the better it will be, he told BulldogsTV.
“It did give the chance to a few more young fellas to step up and play more midfield time but having him in your side is so important and I can’t wait until he gets back.”
While Wallis takes pride in the development of his own game, how season 2015 finished has left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“From a personal point of view, I was satisfied that I’d improved but it’s a team sport and we were disappointed with the result of the final,” he said.
“I know it was a great effort to come from where we did the year before but to lose in the fashion we did in a game that we should have won… we’re looking forward to bigger and better things next year.”
The Bulldogs will face the Greater Western Sydney Giants in their first NAB Challenge match on 25 February at StarTrak Oval in Canberra.
