‘I miss it’: Bobby Hill launches comeback bid after sad Pies exit
Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill has declared he wants to return to the AFL after a long hiatus from the sport.
Hill parted ways with Collingwood in July having previously taken leave from the club in pre-season due to personal issues.
Bobby Hill speaks to Nine. Nine
The small forward played only three VFL matches and had frequent absences from training, which lead to a settlement being reached between Hill and the Magpies despite having four years to run on his deal.
In an interview with 9News Melbourne, Hill admitted that he had fallen out of love with the game.
“That’s all I grew up knowing, footy, footy, footy and that was my Plan A and not having a plan B or C,” the 26-year-old said.
“I just lost my love of the game, and now I want to get back into it. I do miss it.”
Hill was a key member of Collingwood’s 2023 grand final win after kicking four goals against Brisbane, which led to him winning the Norm Smith Medal.
The former Giants and Pies star admitted watching Shai Bolton win the medal this season “put a fire in belly”.
“I’m very fortunate to win a grand final and top it off with a Norm Smith, I just want to move forward now, and I can’t wait to get back on a list and show what I can do,” he said.
“I’m pretty confident I can show what I can do and win some games for teams.”
Hill’s last match for Collingwood was round 21 last year, having moved to the club from GWS in 2022.
His coach Craig McRae was emotional earlier this season when Hill’s exit was near.
“I haven’t seen Bobby in the building for a while ... you hope the young lad’s going OK. Bobby, we’ve got a lot of love and care for you and still do and that will never change, never waver in our love and support for the young man,” he said.
“The other part is completely out of my hands. I’ve not been privy to any conversations like that around management or anything like that, so I’ll leave others to do those things. But I’ll just try to provide a platform where people feel safe and a sense of belonging that we ought to be doing.
“We won’t waver in our love and support for this young man.”
Bobby Hill of the Magpies celebrates winning the Norm Smith Medal in 2023. Getty
Hill’s personal trainer Joss Holdsworth declared the premiership winner is back to the fitness required to be on an AFL list.
“It was a slow start but now it took him a month and he’s right back to where he started,” he said.
“I’ve been training him for four years now and he’s right back to that premiership athletic ability.”
