Mitch Wallis continues to impress as Western Bulldogs struggle with rivals circling the free agent

DO the Western Bulldogs need Mitch Wallis more than he needs them? Wallis bleeds red, white and blue but his future is far from assured at Whitten Oval as rivals desperate for inside muscle circle.

Mitch Wallis tackles Angus Brayshaw.

DO the Western Bulldogs need Mitch Wallis more than he needs them?

It is a question worth asking after Wallis, desperately unlucky to miss out on the fairytale 2016 premiership with a broken leg, put in another promising display at the MCG.

Melbourne had too many weapons, running away 50-point winners to cement a place inside the top eight, but Wallis never stopped trying.

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He was on the nose at the Whitten Oval not all that long ago. It may still be the case.

One thing not in question is the son of a Tricolours gun bleeds red, white and blue.

But Carlton, Essendon and Gold Coast would be mad not to pick up the telephone and get in touch with Wallis’s agent Adam Ramanauskas.

Mitch Wallis after the Bulldogs’ loss to Melbourne.

If nothing else, just ask the question.

At 25 and entering the peak of his powers, Wallis would make the ultimate mature-aged recruit for any team looking to muscle up around the ball.

What he lacks in speed and tricks, Wallis - who is out of contract at the end of the season - makes up for with hunger and intent.

He sets the tone, as he did in the first half as the Bulldogs punched above their weight class on the hallowed turf.

Wallis racked up a heap of possession inside 50m and through the middle as the Bulldogs threatened to cause the boilover — if only for a half.

With backs to the wall as finals-bound Melbourne surged in the third quarter it was Wallis who was thrown into the middle in an ill-fated bid to stem the bleeding.

Mitch Wallis celebrates a goal with Bulldogs teammates.

It mattered not in the end as the worst second half team in the competition capitulated yet again.

But heart-and-soul Bulldog Wallis, who finished with 29 disposals and three goals, certainly boosted his chances of a new contract, if not a hefty pay rise elsewhere.

It rocked the Bulldog when coach Luke Beveridge called out his form early in the season — effectively sparking trade talk.

But Wallis has answered the challenge the best way possible.

And after going from premiership winner to basket case in a matter of months the Bulldogs need the professionalism and calmness Wallis brings as heads turn for 2019 and beyond.

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