Originally from Leongatha, Victoria, Wallis arrived at the Footscray in 1982 and suffered an injury in a reserves game which kept him out for the rest of the season.
He made his senior VFL debut in 1983 and became a solid defender and occasional midfielder.
[1] In 1989, Wallis was appointed captain of the Bulldogs,[2] and became a representative of Victoria in State of Origin.
Midway through 1991 he suffered a broken wrist, forcing him to miss the rest of the season, but returned in 1992 to help the Bulldogs to the finals.
In 1996, he announced his retirement and played his last game in a three-point loss to Essendon (which is documented in the film Year of the Dogs).