AFL great Robert Walls reveals his ongoing battle with a rare cancer

The premiership winner as a player and coach had a chat with his doctor before last year’s grand final that rocked his world.

3 min read

March 8, 2024 - 6:53PM

Robert Walls has revealed a major health battle.

AFL Hall of Famer Robert Walls has opened up about his harrowing health battle that at one stage left him with just weeks to live.

The 73-year-old won premierships as a player and coach with Carlton in the old VFL and is one of the most well-known figures in the game’s history.

Known as a prickly and combative character, Walls has spoken about the rare cancer diagnosis he received just days before last year’s AFL grand final in an interview with the Herald Sun.

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Walls was experiencing pain in his back, ribs and chest along with a lack of energy for months, which he assumed were the product of 259 games and 444 goals during his playing days with Carlton and Fitzroy from 1967-1980.

He eventually went to see his doctor and after some blood tests, a diagnosis came back of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which is a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer which affects about 200 people in Australia each year.

Robert Walls (right), with good mates and former colleagues Mike Sheahan and Gerad Healy. Photo: Michael Klein

He received the news via a phone call from his doctor.

“He said, ‘Your blood test results have come back and you’ve got a rare and an aggressive blood cancer, leukaemia, go to Epworth emergency now’,’’ Walls said.

“I was by myself and I thought, ‘Jesus, he’s abrupt and straight to the point’.’’

Walls spent that night in emergency and the next few days in hospital.

He then received some more startling news over his prospects.

“I said to my oncologist ‘if I don’t do anything, where do I stand?’ (They said) ‘you’d have one-to-three months to live’. That rocked me.

“What if I decide I didn’t want to get any treatment … and I thought for a few days of taking that option.

“I was going downhill pretty quickly and I just thought, I don’t want my grandchildren to see a sick, disabled old man.

He had a long career as a player and coach in Australian football. Photos: News Corp

“I don’t think it’s a weakness to think like that …. but I needed to give myself a chance, to see if treatment could help me, and if it does help me, I could enjoy my children and grandchildren.

“I watched the grand final in bed there, I was there for a month, and treated with chemo and tablets.’’

Just over five months later, Walls is still receiving chemotherapy and the cancer is in remission.

The former centre half-forward is no stranger to cancer, with his wife Erin dying from the disease when she was just 55 years old back in 2006.

Coaching contemporaries Mick Malthouse (left) and Kevin Sheedy are among those that have reached out to Walls. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)

He said his sister, her husband and their son have also all survived cancer diagnoses.

A who’s who of Australian football have reached out to Walls in recent months, including Ross Lyon, Stephen Silvagni and contemporary coaches such as Mick Malthouse, David Parkin, Stan Alves and Kevin Sheedy.

Walls quickly got his affairs in order with the help of his eldest son David shortly after his diagnosis and isn’t wasting any time feeling sorry for himself.

“If I was to die tomorrow, I’d say how fortunate I’ve been,” he said.

“No ‘woe is me’ at all. My sister’s had cancer, her husband had cancer, their little boy when he was four had cancer and lost his arm.