Star Western Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae admits he’s inspired by the way out of favour teammate Mitch Wallis has handled not being selected for large periods of the 2021 season.
Macrae is one of the most in-form midfielders in the competition right now, but in stark contrast Wallis has played just six times at AFL level this year.
Macrae said it was “very inspiring” to see how engaged Wallis is with the playing group, even while not playing.
“(Mitch Wallis) is a great man and I love playing with him,” he said on Sportsday.
“With the three key forwards we’re playing (at the moment), it probably hasn’t been the perfect mix for him but to his credit he’s been amazingly professional.
“He’s the vice-captain and still very vocal in all the meetings, it’s very inspiring to be honest to see players still being committed to the team when things aren’t going their way.
“It’s a full credit to him, but also full credit to our VFL team who have also been fully professional all year which has been very inspiring for the rest of us.”
Wallis’ future remains up in the air heading into the off-season, with the 28-year-old becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2021.