Wingers

[The Doctor]

A terrific insight by Mitch Robinson from the Lions

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/mitch-robinson-why-allaustralian-panel-made-a-mockery-of-players-by-not-selecting-genuine-wingmen/news-story/9e0d4e49d1770d54788d0a2174461cef

[azabob]

Thanks for posting Doc a really good insight and he has a point.

[westdog54]

It's good to see a current player openly air their frustration at a flawed system, while backing it up with a solid argument.

[ledge]

I started as a wingman and i was the outside runner back then, it’s changed a hell of a lot.
Skinny young kids 16 yo were put there as they were usually quick and the coach didn’t Want you to get hurt.
Leon Cameron being the perfect example, the big tough guys played in the middle, super McPherson and Leon became known for their teamwork with super dishing it out wide to Leon every chance he got.

[ratsmac]

Wow, who knew Mitch Robinson was that articulate!

He is spot on about the role of the wingman but he himself is an example that if you can play midfield you should be able to be a decent winger as well. I do get the point he is making but if you had to make the choice to play Bont on the wing or Hugh Mccluggage, you're choosing Bont every time.

[Bulldog4life]

Robbo had Lachie Hunter on the wing in his AA team.

[Mofra]

Excellent article, certainly spells out why Lachie Hunter is rated so highly internally.

[ledge]

I actually love Mitch I think he is very misunderstood by the public, very clever ( the fake injury against us ) obviously quite articulate, hard at the ball , cheeky and has more talent than we give him credit.
Would love him with us, not sure why Carlton traded him he would be very helpful with them now.
I guess he is one of those players opposition fans love to hate but if he is on your side you love his work.

[Happy Days]

Mitch Robinson is awesome. I've never been more sure of a player willing to figuratively and maybe even literally die for his team on the field. He's been no small part in the Lions' significant cultural turnaround and has become a pretty outstanding player too.

So of COURSE Carlton gave him up for nothing.

[1eyedog]

Great article. Some of my favourite ever players were wing men, Keith Greig, Robbie Flower and of course our own Douglas Hawkins.

[Twodogs]

Great article. Some of my favourite ever players were wing men, Keith Greig, Robbie Flower and of course our own Douglas Hawkins.

Magic MacLean was a fair player on the wing too. That centreline of Hawkins, Wallis/Wallace, MacLean/Daniels that we had in the mid 80s was a fair line up.

[jeemak]

I loved playing on the wing. It was the easiest position to have a net positive impact against your opponent in the days I played it.

It baffles me why there aren't more articles like this. I reckon the lack of understanding of what is happening on the field is a major factor in why people get so pissed off about the state of the game today. The technical side of the game has gone miles ahead of the commentary, and analysis within the media, and the discrepancy between them is leaving fans not able to intellectualise what's happening on the field and becoming frustrated.

NFL can be boring if you don't get it. Scoring is hard and intermittent, and the game is full of role players (much like AFL is becoming) who sometimes don't look like they're having an impact on what's happening. However, with a bit of explaining of the technical aspects it becomes much more interesting and this is what is needed in AFL coverage.

Sure some people won't want to know and will pine for the good ol' days, but most people would really appreciate not being treated like potatoes and actually being fed relevant information that enhances their knowledge and their experience.