Former Essendon star and two-time premiership winner Dean Wallis has been rushed to hospital overnight after suffering a heart attack.
Wallis, who is based in Echucha, was originally taken to a local hospital, before being transdered to Bendigo where, according to The Herald Sun, he had life saving surgery.
It's understood he is recovering well after surgery and is now in a stable condition.
The 52-year-old was known as one of the toughest players in the sport during his 14-year career, playing for Essendon between 1987 and 2001. The defender managed 127 games during his career and was part of the premiership winning teams during 1993 and 2000.
They were both under the legendary coaching of Kevin Sheedy. He played eight games during the 1993 season and 16 during the 2000 campaign.
It was arguably 1999 when he was at his best though, it being the only season he managed more than 20 gamnes, playing 23 that year, with 8.6 disposals, 3.4 marks and 1.1 tackles per game.
1999 saw Essendon finish at the top of the table with 18 wins from their 22 games, before they came up short in the preliminary finals against Carlton by just a single point at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
North Melbourne would go on to beat Carlton in that year's decider.
Following hanging up the boots, Wallis became an assistant coach at St Kilda, before moving back into the Essendon system as part of their coaching team. Leaving the club in 2008, he joined Fremantle, before returning to Essendon under James Hird in 2010.
Wallis was suspended for 14 games during 2011 for betting on league games, and in 2015, took up a role as head coach of the Essendon Doutta Stars in the EDFL.
While Wallis had a falling out with Essendon two years, it would appear the relationship has improved given he attended a Hall of Fame event for the club last week.
