Milestones can be a time for reflection but father-son recruit Mitch Wallis is more fixated on what’s in front of him, ahead of his 50th career game against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday.
Taken as a father-son selection in the 2010 AFL Draft, Wallis’ lifelong dream of playing for the Bulldogs was fulfilled when he earned senior selection in round five of his debut season.
Four years later, the 21-year-old can boast holding a number of the competition’s elite midfielders accountable, while he increasingly adds balance to his own game.
“It’s been a bit of a journey… [but I’m] very excited to play Saturday night, I can’t wait.” Wallis said.
Wallis held Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe to 14 touches while collecting 20 of his own in last weekend’s clash and the Bulldogs midfielder is after a repeat performance this week.
The 21-year-old has already set his sights on the Brisbane midfielders as he prepares for Saturday’s game, eager to front up to the next opponent and challenge.
“We had our opposition preview today and Brisbane have been really competitive in the last month so we have a challenge on our hands,” he said.
“I am looking forward to matching up with the guys in the midfield, Rockliff has had a great year and Redden, two players to name a few.
“It’s going to be a challenge but one I think we’ll be up for the task.”
The lead up to Wallis’ 50th career game has not come without hard work and resilience, spending a month in the VFL earlier this year to build confidence and form after a slow start to 2014.
Instead of conceding, the 21-year-old took the challenge head on and has benefited from his run at Footscray, named among the best in all four outings he played.
“It was a bit of a rough month, I had to sort of find my feet again,” he said.
“I got different roles in the VFL which I was pretty happy with and pretty positive coming out of that.
“To get a game last week and to play my role pretty well was good to tick off, but it’s only one week, I’ve got to solidify my spot and be consistent from here on in.”
