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Vale Robert Walls šŸ˜„

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Tells you a lot about the quality of human being he was when people are coming from other clubs to take a moment to acknowledge and pay respects.

As much as he meant to Carlton, I find his fearless will to go to Brisbane when they were a laughing stock and helped erase that stigma and essentially helped lay the foundation of a dynasty when nearly no one else would have dared consider it.

Legend. RIP
 

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www.afl.com.au

Vale Robert Walls, a Carlton legend and coaching great

The football world is mourning the passing of Robert Walls, who played or coached a total of four premierships at the Blues and guided four clubs
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au


PLAYER​

Carlton, 1967-1978: 218 games, 367 goals
Fitzroy, 1978-1980: 41 games, 77 goals
Premierships: 1968, 1970, 1972
Carlton captain: 1977-78
Carlton leading goalkicker: 1975, 1976

COACH
Fitzroy, 1981-1985: 115 games
Carlton, 1986-1989: 84 games
Brisbane Bears, 1991-1995: 109 games
Richmond, 1996-1997: 39 games
Premierships: 1987

HONORS
Australian Football Hall of Fame
Carlton Hall of Fame - Legend
Carlton Team of the Century
Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame



63050018.jpg
 
Robert Walls passing has saddened me. He was one of my favourite people in football, ever.

Nobody in the history of the game carried his experience in my opinion, and his forthright honesty is something I always respected and admired in him.
The fact that he experienced success at a wealthy club like Carlton and finished off his playing days at a comparatively threadbare Fitzroy where sacrifices had to be made alone gives him a degree of depth of experience.

Coaching Fitzroy to moderate success from 81-85 is an effort too-easily dismissed considering the lack of resources at the club. It was a club whose only strength was its people, and Walls clearly commanded a great degree of loyalty from those players, otherwise he would never have made the finals three times in five years.

Returning to Carlton netted him a premiership, a runners up, a third placing, and then the sack after Capper kicked a late goal at Princes Park to see the lowly Brisbane Bears defeat Carlton.

His Brisbane Bears experience is perhaps his most compelling. We will never see an under-resourced, hardly-professional club like the original Brisbane Bears, and their rise by the mid-90s was purely Robert Walls' demands for greater professionalism as well as offloading the deadwood and bringing in youth. His stories regarding then-owner Reuben Pelerman are mind-boggling.
Brisbane under Walls saw Michael Voss (1992), Craig McRae (1995), Jason Akermanis (1995), Darryl White (1992), Justin Leppitsch (1993), Chris Scott (1994) and Nigel Lappin (1994) start their careers and be developed further in subsequent years. I see Walls as crucial to Brisbane's rise as a power. All except Chris Scott were three-time premiership players (except Scott, who was not fully fit in 2003), with Voss being a Brownlow Medallist.

His story about going to McDonald's around 1991 with his sons wearing his Brisbane Bears t-shirt and the kid behind the counter asked, "Oh, you go for the Bears? You going to the game?" Walls responds with, "Yeah, I'll be there." The kid reached under the counter and gave him a heap of entry tickets.

Finishing at Richmond, his insights into the culture there are also fascinating (Richmond: The Lost Years).

I enjoyed his straightforward commentary once he had finished. His vast experience allowed him to be qualified to make comments far more than most others. Few had a broader range of experience than he.

Whether you liked him or not, his experience and insight into the game will never be matched by anybody again, and I don't think people appreciate the uniqueness or his breadth of experience.

Condolences to all of his family, close friends, and the countless people who he helped in their careers.
 

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Used to shit me a few years ago Wallsy used to write a column in The Age and he regularly used to bag a team or player that we were about to play and they would turn around and torch us - I think one time he bagged Matthew Pavlich and he came out and kicked 8 goals against us šŸ¤£
 
Sad news, a Carlton legend, multiple premiership player who was incredibly talented and instrumental in a golden era for the club, premiership coach an innovator as well, his achievements with Carlton and Fitzroy make him one of the most valuable and influential coaches across his entire careerā€¦
RIP Wallsyā€¦
 
R.I.P. Robert Walls.
He got alot out of Richo when he coached the Tigers.
Will forever be a Carlton legend.

Enjoyed his commentary also.

Vale.
 

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I'm not sure about this but is Doull the only AFL player to have played with a future coach in multiple Grand Finals as well as being coached by the same team mate?
Aside from Jezza who is officially the last playing coach (I think?)
 
This one particularly hurts.

He was well before my time as a player, but I knew how highly he was regarded.

He was however very much a mainstay as a comments person across various media formats at the time I was growing up and really getting into footy.

I found him both entertaining and knowledgeable, as he was so forthright and obviously true to himself. You could always tell under the gruffness there's a golden heart there, and people's accounts of him at a personal level just confirms that.

Vale Robert, rest in peace great man.
 
agro said:
Used to shit me a few years ago Wallsy used to write a column in The Age and he regularly used to bag a team or player that we were about to play and they would turn around and torch us - I think one time he bagged Matthew Pavlich and he came out and kicked 8 goals against us šŸ¤£
Click to expand...
Ah yes remember his articles. Scathing of the opposition then they would demolish us the next week. Like clockwork
 
Rest In peace.

Sad that he is gone.

I never was around and saw his playing career.

I was around when he got Carlton to the 1987 flag as coach.

So he achieved the rare feat of being a Premiership player and another one as a coach.

I have always had more respect towards him than Kevin Sheedy for the simple fact he coached Brisbane from 1991-95.

Robert Walls came to Brisbane when Brisbane needed leadership and a winner.

Also... I recommend any Carlton fan on here to watch the open Mike episode on YouTube.

It's one of the better episodes on There.
 

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