Mark Robinson confirms he was sacked from AFL 360 amid sudden absence from season finale

Footy journalist Mark Robinson has revealed he was “sacked” from AFL 360 last week.

News emerged this week that Robinson would be finishing up his role as a host of the long-running program at the end of the season.

But he did not make a farewell appearance alongside Gerard Whateley on Monday night, raising questions about the situation.

Robinson himself has now clarified it was his choice to skip the final show — after being told last week that he was “no longer required”.

“Wow, what can I say? I enjoyed it for 14 years, it was great, I loved it. Changed my life,” he told RSN radio.

“Got told last Tuesday by (Fox Sports boss) Steve Crawley that changes would be made, and unfortunately I’m the change.”

Robinson said it was a “strange feeling” to realise it was all over.

“Clearly at the end not everyone was in my corner. Well, if you’re going to get sacked from that show, clearly people aren’t in your corner,” he said.

Robinson said he already “didn’t have the same buzz” last week and felt it would have been a disservice to himself and the season finale to be on the desk on Monday night.

“The grand final show’s a real celebratory show, it’s like ‘wow what a performance how great was that’, and I just wasn’t in that headspace,” he said.

“Not that I was depressed or anything, I thought I might say something or act in a way that I might regret. So a sign of maturity. I just suggested, well, I just said I’m not coming in. Yeah, I didn’t go in.”

Robinson said he had already received messages from friends and colleagues, including Jack Riewoldt after the Richmond premiership great stepped in for the finale.

“Gerard Healy, Dermott (Brereton). Jack Riewoldt sent me a message, that was really nice. Jack was with us seven, eight years,” he said.

“Jordan Lewis, I haven’t heard from Jordan, that’s disappointing.”

Whateley thanked Robinson at the end of the season finale and confirmed he would be returning for 2025.

“We’ve shared 15 years at the desk together. We were brought together with almost nothing in common, other than footy. It’s a passion that bound us to each other, and also bound us to you,” the commentator said.

“In television terms, it’s an astonishingly long time to spend together and I’ll always have the sense of gratitude for the almost 1500 shows that we’ve done in partnership together.

“Robbo, it’s been grand.”

Robinson confirmed reports that he has been offered other roles on TV for next year.

“Steve Crawley, he’s been really good to me. He’s offered me a couple of roles or asked me to consider a couple of roles at Fox Footy, they’re exciting enough,” he said.

“At the time I just said can I think about it because I was still picking myself up from the floor. As time settles you’ve just got to get on with life. There’s nothing else you can do.

“You’ve got to get on with life and other opportunities. (Being sacked) might be the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Robinson spent time away from the show in 2021 after suffering two heart attacks and undergoing open-heart surgery.