Brisbane joins the hunt for Dog Wallis

BRISBANE has joined Essendon in the hunt for Western Bulldogs free agent Mitch Wallis.

The Lions have some of the best young talent in the competition and are targeting Wallis to add leadership and strength through the midfield.

A new club could prise Wallis out of Whitten Oval with a four-year deal, securing his future until the end of 2022. Wallis is highly rated at the kennel and his experience and team discipline over 118 games appeals to the Lions, who hit the jackpot acquiring champion Luke Hodge from Hawthorn late last year.

The Lions have registered their interest in the hardrunning midfielder with the Wallis camp, but several clubs are in the race to land the father-son jet.

Mitch’s father, Stephen, played 261 games for the Dogs between 1983 and 1996.

Wallis has already attracted interest from Essendon and Gold Coast, with the Bombers widely believed to be in the box seat to keep him in Melbourne. Essendon is targeting another inside ballwinner and is planning to be active in the trade period again after landing Jake Stringer, Devon Smith and Adam Saad last year.

Essendon has a quality midfield brigade but wants another hard-nosed onballer such as Wallis to fill the void left by Jobe Watson when he retired at the end of last season.

Wallis is weighing up his future at the kennel after another decent season averaging 21 possessions across 13 games this year. He has also made a full recovery from a broken leg in 2016.