If you had to pick three words to describe Mitch Robinson what might you come up with? Kamikaze? Tattoos?  Fortnite?

Certainly Robinson is renowned for his kamikaze attack on the football, and is easily identified by the tattoos which he had long before they became a craze in the AFL, and to him are a meaningful and important representation of key people in his life.

And Fortnite is appropriate given that it is the online video game via which last December he became the first active AFL player signed by an eSports franchise.

But the StatsFile team thinks you can do better. Like “value for money”. Or ‘worth the risk”. Or ‘bloody good move’.

Because Robinson, the toast of the Lions after he won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal in Saturday’s Clash #17 win at Metricon Stadium, has proved himself that and more.

He’s been the ultimate investment. He cost the club absolutely nothing, has delivered enormous value, and is still going, intent on becoming just the third player after Roger Merrett and Alastair Lynch to play 100 games for the club after 100 games elsewhere.

And now with 74 games in the #5 Brisbane jumper, he is on track to become the third Brisbane player to play 100 games in jumper #5 behind Brad Scott (146) and Brad Hardie (101).

Robinson was picked up by the Lions as a delisted free agent after being shown the door by Carlton at the end of the 2014 season after six years and 100 games.

He’d finished 7th in the B&F in 2011 and 9th in 2012, represented Australia in the 2011 International Rules series against Ireland, and when things were going well was a fixture in the Carlton side.

But he was involved once too often in an off-field drama and was delisted by then Blues coach Mick Malthouse in a decision Robinson has since said was “right”.

In the trade period while Robinson pondered his future one southern newspaper described him as “a risk given his repeated behavioural breaches at the Blues” while conceding he was “a proven contested ball winner”.

Richmond offered him a one-year rookie contract but Robinson decided a fresh start away from the distractions of Melbourne was best and headed north when the Lions decided to take a recruiting punt on the then 25-year-old Tasmanian.

A risk? Maybe it was, but it was very definitely “a bloody good move” and he has definitely given “value for money”.

Part of a four-way tie for the 2015 Merrett/Murray Medal in his first season at the Gabba, Robinson was runner-up to Dayne Zorko in 2016, played only seven games due to injury in 2017, and last year was 13th in actual votes but 10th on votes per game.

Of 13 players new to the club during the 2014 trade/draft period, he is one of only three still there. The others are draftee Harris Andrews, and trade pick-up Allen Christensen. Gone are draftees Liam Dawson, Josh Watts, Jaden McGrath and Josh McGuinness, father/son draftee Josh Clayton, trade-in Dayne Beams, and rookie draftees Billy Evans, Hugh Beasley, Cian Hanley and Matthew Hammelmann.

Seven other things to know about ‘Robbo’?

  • In 2008 he won the Hunter Harrison Medal as the best player in division two at the Australian U18 Championships. It is an annual award which was first won in 1992 by Lions legend Michael Voss, and among 29 winners – there was a three-way tie in 2013 between ex-Lion Liam Dawson, Kade Kolodjashnij and Toby Nankervis – only Voss (280), ex-Melbourne captain Brad Green (254) and triple Hawthorn premiership defender Grant Birchall (245) have played more than Robinson’s 174 games. More recent winners have been Isaac Heeney (2014), Ben Keays (2015), Jack Bowes (2016), Nick Blakey (2017) and Tarryn Thomas (2018).
  • He was drafted at #40 by Carlton in the 2008 National Draft in which Jack Watts controversially went at #1 ahead of Nic Naitanui at #2. In the same draft Brisbane took Daniel Rich at #7 and Jack Redden at #25. Other standouts have been Michael Hurley #6), Jack Ziebell (#9), Phil Davis (#10), Steele Sidebottom (#11), Luke Shuey (#18), David Zaharakis (#23), Dayne Beams (#29), Dan Hannebery (#30) and Liam Shiels (#34), and, after Robinson, Rory Sloane (#44), Neville Jetta (#51) and Michael Walters (#53).
  • He hails from Lauderdale Football Club in Hobart from where Brisbane drafted Tom Collier in 2007. He has played more games than the other three Lauderdale draftees combined –Collier (27), Jacob Gillbee (6) and Andrew Phillips (38).
  • The only Brisbane player in the 2011 International Rules team, coached by Rodney Eade and captained by Brad Green, was Joel Patfull. Members of the side that played two Tests in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast who are still in the AFL were James Frawley, Matthew Suckling, Callan Ward, Trent McKenzie, Liam Shiels, Zac Smith, Shaun Grigg, Easton Wood, Richard Douglas and Jack Trengove.
  • Set to turn 30 in June, he is the third oldest player on the Lions list behind Luke Hodge, who will be 35 in June, and Stefan Martin (33).
  • With Sydney heading to the Gabba on Saturday for Round 7 he will have fond memories of their last visit in Round 10 last year. He had a club record 26 contested possessions to go with 35 possessions, seven tackles, a personal best 13 clearances and two goal assists. 
  • And he shares a name with a gangly 20-year-old 213cm centre who plays with the New Yorks Knicks and, despite never having played college basketball, was drafted in the second round, had a first-year salary of US$1.485m and in his recently-completed second year was the No.1 shot-blocker in the NBA.