Retired Mitch Robinson (2014-2022)

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Mark Robinson reveals his likes and dislikes for Round 21

5. Mitch and Charlie

The Lions are the story of the season to date and Mitch Robinson and Charlie Cameron are two of the better stories at the Lions. Loved how coach Chris Fagan was smiling when he compared Cameron to Cyril Rioli. It was a smile of adoration and appreciation, acknowledging he has been lucky to be at two clubs and be entertained by two incredible footballers. Robinson has been sent to the wing this year which was initially curious as wingmen generally have to be good users of the ball. Mitch is a plunderer in the nicest sense of the word. He gets the ball and just propels it forward. It’s worked. He is averaging a career-high 93 ranking points and is averaging career highs for uncontested possessions, metres gained and intercept possessions. Since the bye he has averaged 22 disposals and 523m gained — ranked third in the league. Who would ever have thought this crash-bang player would become an elite outside player.

 

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Brisbane Lions great Alastair Lynch writes Martin Pike was one of his favourite teammates (Alistair Lynch)

Watching the impact Brisbane’s mature-age recruits are having this year has got me thinking about one of my favourite ever teammates, Martin Pike.

We have all admired what Mitch Robinson has done since he has been at Brisbane and particularly this season where he has taken his game to new heights. Pikey and Robbo were both on the scrapheap when they arrived at Brisbane after being punted from their previous club.

They were both capable of putting the wind up our opposition and — given the way Robbo is going since his positional switch this season — they played their best footy for Brisbane as slightly unconventional wingmen. And the perception of both players internally was far different to how the outside world saw them.

Stating the bleeding obvious, but it would be awesome if Mitch got himself a premiership medallion with the Lions given his career was almost done.

 

[M Malice]

Great Q&A with Mitch by Greg Davis-
https://www.couriermail.com.au/spor...o/news-story/6afcdbeaf3202b0102eb2de9ad55981b

Lions enforcer Mitch Robinson is a lot of things away from the football field, where he has been a pivotal part of Brisbane’s renaissance in 2019.

He’s a father, husband, professional gamer, podcaster, barber, solo moviegoer and occasional gardener.

But it wasn’t always like that.

 

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Great Q&A with Mitch by Greg Davis-
https://www.couriermail.com.au/spor...o/news-story/6afcdbeaf3202b0102eb2de9ad55981b

Lions enforcer Mitch Robinson is a lot of things away from the football field, where he has been a pivotal part of Brisbane’s renaissance in 2019.

He’s a father, husband, professional gamer, podcaster, barber, solo moviegoer and occasional gardener.

But it wasn’t always like that.

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Any chance of copying and pasting the article jason pm or alternatively take a photo of the article and post it? Paywall reasons.

 

[M Malice]

Any chance of copying and pasting the article jason pm or alternatively take a photo of the article and post it? Paywall reasons.

Lions enforcer Mitch Robinson is a lot of things away from the football field, where he has been a pivotal part of Brisbane’s renaissance in 2019.
He’s a father, husband, professional gamer, podcaster, barber, solo moviegoer and occasional gardener.

But it wasn’t always like that.

Ahead of today’s top-of-the-table AFL blockbuster against Geelong at the Gabba, he talks about how he spectacularly turned his life around on and off the field.

GD: From delisted lunatic to beloved cult hero. How did you manage that?

MR: Being delisted by Carlton, the first thought I had was “I don’t want my career to finish like this”. When I got told that I was no longer required by the Blues, it sparked that change. I got a few hard truths from my partner (Emma) and a fresh start up here too. A lot of players get sick of the same environment after a number of years, so you often see players flourish when they get to a new club. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the new club has a better environment. It’s just the change. It gave me a chip on my shoulder that I’ve had the whole time I’ve been up here and it’s been the thing that’s been driving me.

Lions CEO Greg Swann once said that you win nothing if the team is full of choirboys and you need the odd “mad” bloke to be successful. That’s why he was happy to recruit you.


Swanny is the reason why I’m here. I always loved playing with blokes who play hard. It’s always good to know that you have someone in your corner if anything goes down. That’s just my style of footy. I’ve been playing like that since I was a junior. I always liked footy because it was a contact sport and you could get away with a bit more. I think it helps the team when I play that way but coaches can get frustrated when I do cross that line. But Fages (Lions senior coach Chris Fagan) is good in terms of knowing when to let me go and when to pull me in.

Has becoming a Dad mellowed you?

One hundred per cent. There’s been so many silver linings in being cut by Carlton. One of them was that as a father, you have to provide for your family. That was big for me and helped me mature. I want to make my kids proud. My family in general has been a great influence. Mum (Merrilyn) was getting frustrated by me making the paper for the wrong reasons. Since coming up here, it’s been nothing but positive.

How did you handle being an Auskick dad with your son Chance?

I struggled early days. He did an eight-week program. I’ve done about a million clinics over the journey and I’ve seen the dads on the sideline push their kids, so I tried to take a step back and just watch him go. I tried not to get too involved but the last session was a practice match and the parents got involved and Chance – who might be a rugby player – just grabbed the ball and ran through everybody. He wouldn’t handball, kick or bounce it. He is just a very physical young man.

I wonder where he gets that from?

Probably his Mum

How does playing computer games like Fortnite help your footy? That’s part of your very busy schedule away from the Gabba.

It’s been a great hobby. I got to a professional level with it and got to play on Margaret Court Arena in front of thousands of spectators which was pretty cool. When I got up here I had a lot of things I needed to work on and a counsellor said I should get some hobbies because I had none. These days I go to the movies by myself – people think that’s weird – but it helps me switch off. I’m a very hyperactive person and have been my whole life, which has been a struggle but little things help. If I get too obsessed with the footy world and how I’m playing, it’s tough.

Another non-footy pursuit is being a barber. How many teammates will be rocking a fresh haircut for the Geelong game?

It’s a revolving door this week. I’m doing about five or six haircuts today (Friday). They keep hitting me up. I normally don’t like hanging out with people outside of footy but it has been good when they come around to the house. It helps you get to know people. It’s good banter with the boys.

Any haircut requests you refuse to do?

There’s been a couple. Cam Rayner comes in with crazy ideas, rocks them for a few days then comes back and tells me that I was right in the first place and gets me to fix it.

If you had to write a letter to your 18-year-old self, what would it say?

I would just tell myself to adapt to the professionalism that’s required. When you get drafted as a kid from Tassie, all that stuff is really eye-opening. I thought it would be an easier job than being a sparky.

A few years ago, I rang you early on a Sunday morning after a big win on the Saturday night and you were out in the garden. At Carlton, you probably would have been getting home from the nightclub. Life has changed for you?

I was getting the weeds out because we had an inspection coming up. I didn’t understand the professional lifestyle early in my football career and I just did what I knew. So getting away from the Melbourne bubble gave me a new perspective. I’ve spoken to a few football clubs about my story and I’d love to set-up a second chance program to help people down the track.

What was the moment this year when you thought that this season could be something special?

The Port Adelaide game (Round 17). To see a team come after us like that and respond the way we did was great. They came after Lachie Neale but we flew the flag the right way. Teams have tried to bash us before but we were up for it, which made me think we were a genuine chance of playing finals.

Tell us something about Charlie Cameron that we might not know?

I met him through Eddie Betts because he was living with Eddie in Adelaide and we clicked straight away. He wants to do well for the team and he kicks himself if he has a bad game. His care and passion for his teammates is awesome. He can appear quite jovial but he can also be quite serious. He’s pretty much become family.

Everyone at the Gabba lavishly praises Luke Hodge and his contribution to the Lions. There must be some dirt on him?

A little bit. He tries to coach all the lines in the team. He’s been a backman his entire career but he tries to coach the midfield and the forwards too. He forgets he’s a player sometimes. He even tries to coach the ruckmen as well. It will be funny when he is coaching just the one line.

QUICK OFF THE MARK:

First car: Holden Commodore VE

Favourite band: Rage Against the Machine

Favourite TV show: Ballers

Best advice received: Learn from your mistakes

First computer game played: Road Rash

Childhood hero: Daryn Creswell

Your coffee order: Double shot latte from Grumpy Monkey at Norman Park.

Weirdest injury: Eye

 

[Ceebee]

Great read ,thanks for that.

 

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Thanks jason pm

 

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The three most overrated and underrated players in the AFL today

Underrated: Mitch Robinson
A big reason to why the Lions are in the position they are in, Robinson is a consistent performer for Brisbane. He may not average the numbers of a Lachie Neale or Dayne Zorko, but he is consistent and his effort is unquestioned. He also brings that inspiration and passion to the Lions, always standing up for teammates and can often give them that spark to ignite them.

 

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Meet Brisbane's odd couple, the best pure wing combo in the comp (Michael Whiting)

MEET Brisbane's odd couple. One is 21 years old, the other 30. One is clean-cut, the other a little rough around the edges. One plays with a grace in space, the other more bash-and-crash. But as a combination, they're playing the wing role as well as any duo in the competition. They are Hugh McCluggage and Mitch Robinson.

McCluggage spent all of 2018 on a wing, but for Robinson it's totally new, a Chris Fagan masterstroke that has seen the Lions' wrecking ball play the most consistent football of his 11-year career. Between them they have kicked 37 goals and proved an integral part of the Lions' unlikely surge towards September.

"Wingmen are real stoppage players," Fagan told AFL.com.au. "You need wingers that can play strong footy on the inside and I thought that was Mitch. "They're the most complex of all the positions to play, because you're involved in most structures at most times."

Through a combination of good management and good luck, Brisbane's lack of injuries has allowed Fagan to keep McCluggage and Robinson fixed to the wings. And they've thrived, ranking one and two for that position in the AFL Official Player Ratings.

Their lockers are adjoined, but that's where the similarities end. As the third pick of the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, big things were always expected of McCluggage, but the leap he's made this year has been jaw-dropping. If the All Australian selectors pick pure wingmen, he is right in the frame.

Not only is his ball-use by foot damaging, but McCluggage has kicked 21 goals – more in a single season than noted wing specialists Josh Kelly, Andrew Gaff and Brad Hill ever have. "He's always trying to improve himself," Fagan said. "He's improved his running ability, he's stronger, he's more comfortable with his role after 18 months and he feels more comfortable at AFL level." His goal against North Melbourne in round 18, where players seemed to stand still as he burst from congestion, was a prime example of how McCluggage makes the difficult look easy.

Then there's Robinson. A fan favourite around the league, his story of resurrection has been well-told, but it's worth remembering that as recently as February, the feisty Tasmanian was in the Lions' 'B' team in intraclub matches.

He worked hard, surpassed Tom Cutler and Ryan Bastinac and found a home in the best team. Recently rewarded with a two-year contract extension, Robinson is averaging 21 disposals and has kicked 16 goals. He's more sledge-hammer than a chisel, but he does what his coach asks (aside from giving away the odd 50m penalty!) and his teammates walk taller when he's on the field.

"He always gives 100 per cent effort and he brings energy, voice, encouragement and enthusiasm," Fagan said. "And some of the things he does are quite inspirational, he's courageous and desperate."

They're an unlikely duo, but every bit as important to Brisbane's success as a Lachie Neale clearance, a Dayne Zorko goal or a Harris Andrews intercept mark. And while Fremantle's combination of Hill and Ed Langdon, West Coast's of Gaff and Dom Sheed and Hawthorn's of Isaac Smith and Ricky Henderson have all had wonderful seasons, none is playing better than the Lions' version of chalk and cheese.

 

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Old stagers or fresh faces? Your club's All Australian contenders

Mitch Robinson
A smokey for the 40-man squad. Like McCluggage, Robinson has found a home on the wing, averaging 21 touches and kicking 16 goals. His honed aggression makes the Lions a better team.

 

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The AFL Players’ Association MVP Award nominees for 2019 have been revealed, ahead of the awards on Thursday, August 29.

The nomination for the MVP Award is a two-stage process. The first involves players nominating three teammates for the award, before three nominees from every club are presented to the wider playing group for a vote to decide the winner. Players cannot vote for their own teammates in stage two of the process.

Alongside the Most Courageous, Best Captain and Best First Year award nominees, the league’s players have nominated the three players they believe are their most valuable.

Most Courageous: Mitch Robinson

 

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Article in Hobart Mercury today:

 

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AFL finals form guide 2019:

In hot form: Mitch Robinson

As he wrote in an exclusive column for foxfooty.com.au, Robinson has had to learn a number of new roles this season and has lifted at the pointy end of the year. He has increased his output in the final month of the season, lifting from 89.4 ranking points (Round 1-18) to 111.9 in the final five games of 2019.

 

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Hamstring injury puts tough Lion's finals series in doubt

Brisbane faces the prospect of playing a semi-final without star wingman

www.afl.com.au

 

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Mitch Robinson: We just wanted to play footy. Now, after the most bizarre two weeks of my life, it’s gone

We just wanted to play footy. Now, after the most bizarre two weeks of my life, it’s gone

www.foxsports.com.au

 

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