David Walls has expressed his family’s “deep appreciation” and “absolute joy” after the Brisbane Lions and Carlton came together to strike a medal in recognition of his late father Robert.

The Robert Walls Medal will be awarded to the player judged best afield in games between Brisbane and Carlton, beginning with the Round 18 game at Marvel Stadium on Thursday week (10 July).

“It’s perfect because it encapsulates pretty much his entire football career at Fitzroy, Carlton and Brisbane… he’d be so proud,” David Walls said today.

Indeed, 567 of Walls’ 606 games as an AFL player and coach – and all the great moments of his career - were in the colours of Fitzroy/Brisbane and Carlton from 1967-95, before he finished with 39 games as coach at Richmond in 1996-97.

The initiative by Brisbane and Carlton to recognise the Lions and AFL Hall of Famer, who died on 15 May following a battle with cancer, prompted David Walls, the oldest of Robert’s three children, to recount a touching story of his father’s time at the clubs.

“His old man died when he was 15 and Carlton pretty much became his family. He was going to leave school and get a job to help his Mum but the club intervened and made sure he finished school. Ron Barassi was very generous and was like a father to him… and other Carlton people like Serge Silvagni, John Nicholls and Ian Collins always looked after him,” David said today.

“When he went to Fitzroy he found a different sort of club but he loved those players like they were his own. And then it was the same at Brisbane, where he was able to become a bit of a father figure to what became one of the great sides.

“While he wasn’t directly involved in the Brisbane premiership hat-trick in 2001-02-03 it was so special to him, and he followed the progress of those guys really closely.”

Indeed, half of Brisbane’s first premiership side in 2001 played under Walls with the Brisbane Bears – current AFL coaches Michael Voss, Chris Scott, Craig McRae, former coach Justin Leppitsch, plus Alastair Lynch, Marcus Ashcroft, Jason Akermanis, Shaun Hart, Nigel Lappin, Darryl White and Clark Keating.

The Robert Walls Medal is an initiative of Lions Chief Executive Greg Swann, who approached Carlton as a way to honour the 74-year-old’s monumental impact on the game.

“Wallsy made a massive contribution to our club and the game as a player, coach and commentator,” Swann said. “It’s incredible he was in and around the game for so long … 14 years as a player, 16 years as a coach, and another 25 years in the media.

“His fingerprints were all across the Lions’ three-peat in 2001-02-03, and given his impact at Fitzroy and Brisbane we felt this was a way to celebrate both his memory and the history of the Lions and the Bears.”