Lions enforcer on his journey from lunatic to much-loved cult hero
Brisbane hardman Mitch Robinson is a colourful character on and off the AFL field. He speaks to Greg Davis about his transition from bad boy Blue to lionheart.
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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
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