Season in short:
In the absence of Tom Liberatore, Mitch Wallis stepped seamlessly into a new attacking midfield role in 2015.
Having previously spent much of his career as a run with player, Wallis was given more freedom by coach Luke Beveridge and rose to the challenge.
He averaged 23 disposals, four tackles and three marks, including a career-high 36 disposals in round nine against the Giants.
In that same match Wallis collected seven marks, seven tackles and a goal in undoubtedly his most impressive output for the season.
Such was the midfielder’s influence in 2015, he finished atop the Bulldogs leader board in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year award, with 43 votes, ahead of Marcus Bontempelli, Jake Stringer and Robert Murphy.
Not only did the 22-year-old’s on-field credentials rise this year, but his leadership qualities have continued to emerge and has strengthened pundits’ opinions of him as a future leader of the Club.
The stat that mattered:
Wallis finished the year ranked 16th in the league for clearances and 20th in contested possessions, highlighting his impact around the contest.
What they said:
“I’ve been given a license to bring my own strengths to the game and play forward as well as in the midfield and I’ve loved it. It’s been a great learning curve for me this year but I’ve just really enjoyed the opportunities I’ve been given by Bevo (Luke Beveridge), Kingy (Steven King) and Joel (Corey).” – Mitch Wallis, September 2015
“’I’ve been really impressed with Mitch’s year. He’s brutal around the footy, the way he cracks in but he’s actually added more to his game. He’s had the freedom to play which has been significant but also for him just to improve his outside game, so you’ve seen him spend more time as a forward. He’s starting to become an all-round mid now, with his outside game starting to complement his grunt. The one thing about Wal which a lot of people don’t see, is just his ability to lead within the Club.” – Steven King (Western Bulldogs Assistant Coach), September 2015
