The Magpies are not planning on Bobby Hill’s return this year

3 weeks ago 4

Collingwood are not factoring Bobby Hill into their plans for the season, with the small forward still yet to resume training.

The club has not ruled Hill out. But a month out from their first game of the 2026 season, Hill is yet to return to training and there are no indications the 2023 Norm Smith medallist will return in the short-to-medium term as he battles personal issues, according to three sources with knowledge of his situation speaking on the condition of anonymity due to its sensitivity.

Bobby Hill with Collingwood coach Craig McRae in preliminary final week last season.

Given his open-ended absence, the Magpies can’t plan for him this season, but figure if he gets back this year it will be a bonus.

Hill earns around $750,000 per year and is contracted until 2030 after signing a four-year contract extension in April last year. He had originally been contracted until the end of this year.

Hill has now de-conditioned to such an extent that he will require months of training to get back to a level capable of playing football, and would then need a period in the VFL before any senior return. Even if he returned to the club in the next week, it would be mid-season at the earliest before he would be ready to play, and there are no short-term plans for him to return.

Hill’s estranged partner, who is now pregnant, is back in Perth. While Hill is living in Melbourne, he is not training. He has regularly been seen out at Melbourne venues.

The club announced in early January the small forward had again taken an indefinite leave from the club after he didn’t return for pre-season training after Christmas. Hill had sporadically trained prior to Christmas.

Hill is one of the game’s most electrifying players.

He was also absent for most of the second half of last season with personal issues. Collingwood, who were on top of the ladder on 12 wins after round 15 when Hill took personal leave, won five games and lost six in the remaining 11 matches including finals. Hill returned to play in the VFL but was not deemed fit or match-ready enough to play senior football.

He kicked 20 goals in his 14 games last season.

“We care for Bobby and his health and wellbeing remain the priority as he continues to work through his personal situation,” Collingwood football operations manager Charlie Gardiner said on January 6 when announcing Hill’s leave of absence.

“While on leave from the AFL program, we will continue to support Bobby so that he can be in the best possible position to return to the club in a full-time capacity when appropriate.”

For the Magpies, the priority remains helping Hill get his life back on track and, consequently, they are not putting timeframes on his return. But the longer Hill goes without training, the less the likelihood of a return this season becomes.

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