The career of Collingwood star Bobby Hill is at a crossroads once again after he failed to attend training on Monday. Hill had been in Western Australia for the past three weeks for the birth of his third child and was expected to return to the club this week.
However, 7NEWS reporter Xander McGuire revealed that Hill was an “unexplained” absentee as he continues to deal with complex personal issues.
Hill has not played at senior level this year after taking personal leave during the off-season. He had appeared close to a return after impressing in the VFL, but this latest setback raises fresh doubts about whether he will ever play at the top level again.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat this. This is a setback for where Bobby Hill has been,” McGuire reported on The Agenda Setters. “And this weekend, this Sunday, in fact, actually marks one calendar year to the last time that Bobby Hill completed one full AFL game. So Collingwood’s aware that his return won’t be linear as he navigates complex personal issues in his own life. But at the same time, time is really running out for Bobby Hill to make an impact and to remain in the, I guess, the standing that he is in the AFL right now. And the heat has been building over the last six months, but particularly in the last four weeks.”
Channel 7’s Tom Morris added that people at the club are starting to believe Hill will never play for Collingwood again. “There are people at Collingwood and around Bobby Hill that are seriously questioning whether he’ll ever play for Collingwood again,” he reported. “And that is remarkable, given he’s contracted to the end of 2030. He’s on $750,000 a year. And at some point, Collingwood is going to start looking for a way out, a way to break a contract and support him on the way through.”
Hill managed just one senior appearance as a substitute after Round 15 last year due to personal issues and a lack of conditioning. The 2023 Norm Smith medallist came on as the substitute in Round 21 but was overlooked for the Magpies’ two finals.
McGuire added that Collingwood have been very understanding of the situation. “They’re willing to go with the two steps forward, one step back,” he said.
