AS A decorated player and coach, Robert Walls never shirked a challenge and was acknowledged as one of the game's most respected and influential people.
Since his battle with cancer began in 2023 and initially being given only a few months to live, Walls displayed his renowned courage and determination to fight the disease bravely before finally succumbing on May 15, 2025, aged 74.
FAMILY STATEMENT Robert Walls passes away, aged 74
Born in Dunolly in country Victoria, Walls grew up in East Brunswick. His football journey began at Coburg Amateurs before going to Carlton in 1966 while still a student at Coburg High School.
He made rapid progress through the Blues' thirds and seconds before making his VFL/AFL debut aged 16 in round two, 1967, against Hawthorn.
While the Hawks' high-profile Tasmanian recruit Peter Hudson garnered much of the attention in his first VFL game, Walls lined up at the other end of Princes Park at full-forward and made an impressive start to his League career, scoring a goal with his first kick.
For most of his first two seasons Walls honed his craft as a defender alongside the rugged duo of Wes Lofts and Ian Collins and he did not have to wait too long to enjoy the ultimate success in football.
In only his 28th game Walls was in the back pocket as the Blues broke a 21-year premiership drought with a narrow victory over Essendon in the 1968 Grand Final.
The next season Walls was moved permanently into attack where he made his name as a star centre half-forward. Tall with long arms, he was a fine mark and always creative in providing scoring opportunities for teammates.
He was the quintessential big-game player who rose to the occasion in the cauldron of matches against arch rivals Collingwood and Richmond.
Walls played an important role in Carlton's memorable second-half comeback to overcome the Magpies in the 1970 Grand Final, but his greatest personal triumph came two years later when he produced a best-afield performance to boot six goals in the Blues' record-breaking Grand Final score as they defeated the highly fancied Tigers.
He also played in losing Grand Final teams in 1969 and 1973. "I was lucky in a way to have played five Grand Finals by the age of 23. I was at Carlton at a time when they were on the rise and all of those Grand Finals are memorable," he recalled.
Walls was Carlton's leading goalkicker twice (1975-76) and represented Victoria four times, booting seven goals.
He was the Blues' vice-captain for several seasons and was appointed skipper in 1977. But he resigned as captain early in the following season after a dispute with new coach Ian Stewart.
After playing 218 games and kicking 367 goals with Carlton, Walls left to join Fitzroy in round nine, 1978. He would play 41 games and kick 77 goals with the Lions in three seasons, including two finals in 1979, before hanging up the boots.
His move into coaching seemed a natural progression and he took the reins at Fitzroy in 1981.
A strict disciplinarian and a fine tactician, Walls was innovative and often a step ahead of the opposition.
In the early 1980s he invented 'The Huddle', which revolutionised how teams moved the ball from kick-outs.
The tactic, which had several variations, created space for the Lions' skilful running players out of defence and enabled them to move the ball efficiently into the forward half.
"We did a whole summer of pre-season training on it. We had good kicks like Grant Lawrie and Laurie Serafini, we needed guys who could break (and) the timing had to be right," Walls told AFL.com.au in 2006.
The ploy proved successful for two years before Leigh Matthews, who was coaching Collingwood, employed 'outriders' to deny the Fitzroy players open space and eventually led to the widespread use of zone defence at kick-outs.
Under Walls, the Lions played in three finals series in five seasons before he swapped jobs with David Parkin and returned to Princes Park as coach in 1986.
He lifted Carlton to the Grand Final in his first season and took the flag a year later.
An influx of big-name interstate recruits including South Australians Stephen Kernahan, Craig Bradley, Peter Motley and Mark Naley and West Australians Jon Dorotich and Richard Dennis bolstered the Blues' list.
But Walls invested heavily in youth and developed Ian Aitken, Adrian Gleeson, Michael Kennedy, Warren McKenzie, Fraser Murphy and Shane Robertson, who became premiership players.
"I think as a coach you get more satisfaction. As a coach you ride every kick and every bump and you know what has gone into it," he recalled later.
But the Blues' fortunes slipped and by the middle of the 1989 season he was dumped as coach and replaced by fellow club legend Alex Jesaulenko.
As a passionate supporter of a national competition, Walls accepted an offer to coach the troubled Brisbane Bears.
In his five seasons in Queensland, his selfless contribution laid the foundation for future success, guiding the club to its first finals appearance in 1995.
He helped set up the Lions ahead of their 2001-03 premiership hat-trick, having coached players such as Jason Akermanis, Nigel Lappin, Justin Leppitsch, Craig McRae, Chris Scott and Michael Voss.
His final senior coaching role was with Richmond for almost two seasons (1996-97).
Walls then concentrated on media commitments and his insightful, erudite opinions made him one of the game's most respected analysts by coaches, players and fans, even if there were bumps and bruises in this new role with some coaches and players.
Always, he was respected for his work and was a leader in the media field until his retirement.
Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2006, Walls is a Hall of Fame member with Carlton and Brisbane.
He was named on the interchange bench in Carlton's Team of the Century in 2000 and elevated to Legend status by the Blues in 2011.
Walls was still involved with Carlton as recently as 2019 when he was a mentor to then-coach Brendon Bolton and his staff.
Robert Walls, 1950-2025
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
HONOURS
Australian Football Hall of Fame
Carlton Hall of Fame - Legend
Carlton Team of the Century
Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame
