“I had to ring ‘Bevo’ right there and then.”
It was after a trip to his family farm in Tallarook, alongside his dad Steve, at the end of the 2018 season that Mitch Wallis knew he wanted to remain a Dog.
“To be honest, we didn’t speak too much about footy. A lot had gone on in the season and we went for a two-day getaway just the two of us,” Wallis told foxsports.com.au.
“I’m not sure what we were even going there to talk about, but on the car ride home I turned to him and said: I want to stay. And I think that was the turning point.”
From there, the process for the 26-year-old was simple – he had to tell the coach.
“It was a weight off my chest, although I didn’t realise that until then,” Wallis said.
“He was at the airport and he didn’t know what I was ringing for. He was coming back from a holiday and it was a really special moment. My dad was sitting next to me in the car, so it was great to share it with him, too.
“Bevo was the first person I rang and I think I owed that to him because he backed me in.
“There was a little bit of pride in making sure he was the first person to know outside my wife and my parents and my family that I was going to stay at the Dogs.”
It was a big year for the star Dog, who not only re-committed to the club, but married long-time partner Emily and completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Accounting, at Victoria University.
Life, as much as footy, convinced Wallis that Whitten Oval was the place he wanted to continue to call home.
“I went and spoke to other clubs and it grew my confidence that people want you and you have a future in the game,” he said.
“But I love this club, and having lived the last three or four months, where I’ve been put in the leadership group, training well and having a good pre-season, I’m so glad with the decision I made. But all the elements before it made it a good decision.
“Although that period was probably the hardest, it was when I did the most of my learning. I stood back and started to think about my life and not just my footy. I had a real clear direction on where I wanted to go. And that was with the Dogs.”
For the full story on foxsports.com.au, click here
