The Footy World is in mourning for the death of Legend Robert Walls, who won a big final as a player and coach before ending his life with the help of voluntary assisted dying laws on Thursday morning, 74 years old.
Walls – who had fought a rare form of cancer – was a gigantic figure in Carlton, where he won the flags of 1968, 1970 and 1972 as a player before he started the blues to another big last victory as a coach.
He played 218 games for the club from 1967 to 1978 before switching to Fitzroy and led the blues as a coach from 1986 to 1989.
As soon as he finished coaching in 1999, Walls moved to the media, where he won praise for his work with Seven, Ten and Foxtel, in addition to writing for newspapers and in the lead role on the radio.
Walls died in his house in Melbourne in the company of his sons David and Daniel, daughter Rebecca and partner Julie, with a doctor present.
He was diagnosed with the rare and aggressive cancer acute lymphatic leukemia in 2023 after noticing warning signals shortly before the grand finale that year.
Robert Walls (photo) was a real giant of the game after winning a total of four Premierships as a player and coach and became one of the greatest icons for Carlton
Walls (photo of the top with colleague Carlton Greats Jon Dorotich, left, Peter Bosustow, Middle and Stephan Kernehan, right) is an icon for the blues
Doctors said he would not live by that Christmas, but he showed the grit he was famous for when he fought the disease that was against expectations for a long time.
His son David confirmed that Walls made the decision to end his life a few weeks ago, telling The age That the Footy Great was partially asked to do this by the death of his deceased wife, who died in 2006 by lung cancer.
“He did a huge job,” David said about how his father took care of his mother before she died.
“I think that might also have influenced his decision.”
David added that walls had spent about 270 days in the hospital when he defended the doctors’ predictions.
The publication reported that walls consumed a deadly drink under Victoria’s Assisted Dying Laws, with good friends who were aware of his plans prior to his death and many who took the opportunity to visit him personally.
They include the former star and Premiership-winning Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos, and his Carlton teammates Peter Jones and Geoff Southby.
Acute lymphatic leukemia is a kind of cancer that touches the blood and bone marrow, so that the production of too many young white blood cells, lymphocytes, is called.
The Footy legend was diagnosed at the end of 2023 with acute lymphatic leukemia and only had months to live
Walls (left) became a respected TV commentator with seven, ten (photo) and Foxtel next to writing for newspapers and works in the radio
This cancer moves fast, so it needs rapid treatment such as chemotherapy, irradiation, stem cell transplants or special medicines to arrest its progress.
For the first time after severe pain in his back, ribs and chest, doctors saw walls, which he originally put down to wear and tear from his Footy career.
But the last drop was when he was only exhausted for 10 minutes in his usual one -hour walk with his dog Millie.
“My exact words were:” There is something wrong, “Walls said in March 2024.
He gave blood and lay on the couch when the doctor called the news the next day.
“He said,” Your blood test results have come back and you have a rare and an aggressive blood cancer, leukemia, now go to Epworth Emergency, “Walls said.
“I was alone and I thought, Jesus, he is abrupt and directly relevant.
“I told my chronologist:” If I don’t do anything, where am I? ” [They replied] You would have one to three months to live. That rocked me, “said walls.
Walls (depicted coaching of the Brisbane Bears in 1995) had a reputation as a hard taskmaster and the straight talker during his coaching days
He had a beam of light when he went into remission in December 2023, but the disease returned in recent months and he chose not to endure chemotherapy anymore.
‘Wallsy’ was a very talented and tough center Half-Forward that set 444 goals in his 259 first degree matches, of which 218 rose for the blues.
He first moved to coaching with Fitzroy in 1981, the year after his retirement as a player, then had three very successful years with Carlton before he started leading the Brisbane Bears, Richmond and Victoria.
‘Walls’ term of office as a player and coach in four clubs, and as a respected commentator on television, radio and print, included about six decades, “said the Carlton Club in a statement on Thursday.
“But it was in Carlton that the Afl Life member and the Australian football hall of Fame Inductee enjoyed his largest individual and collective football moments.”
Walls had a reputation like a straight talk and hard Taskmaster who chose a no-nonsense approach to shape his teams.
His leadership during the Premiership season of the Blues from 1987 was made all the more impressive by the fact that the team had to do with the death of Star des English, who was diagnosed with leukemia the year before, and the career-ending car accident that almost ended the life of Peter Motley.
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