Collingwood coach Craig McRae says Magpies ‘have hope’ Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill will return in 2026Josh KemptonThe West AustralianSun, 22 February 2026 2:53PMCommentsComments
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has not put a line through forward Bobby Hill playing again this season, despite him still being away from the club amid personal issues.
In January, the Magpies announced the WA product had been granted a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter, which came after he also spent an extended period away from the club through the middle stages of the 2025 season.
Earlier this month, it was reported the Magpies were “not factoring” the 2023 Norm Smith medallist into their plans for the upcoming campaign, but McRae said he was hoping the dynamic forward would be able to play a part at some stage.
“Bobby is not in the program but we are really comfortable he is getting to work on himself, and we are working through that,” McRae told the AFL website.
“I think it has been reported that we are preparing for life without Bobby and that might be the case in the early parts of the season but we have hope that at some stage he will walk back into our building, and we will wrap our arms around him and support him to be the best version of himself.
“We haven’t completely ruled him out. We have hope for Bobby.”
Hill — a Northam product who was drafted by GWS in 2019 before being traded to Collingwood in 2022 — claimed the Norm Smith Medal on the back of a dazzling four-goal performance in Collingwood’s four-point grand final win over Brisbane in 2023.
He has slotted 117 goals across 102 career appearances at the top level, including 20 in 14 games for the Magpies in 2025.
Hill returned to the club after his period of leave for the back end of the 2026 season in but was left out of the side for their preliminary final loss to the Lions in what McRae said was a “really difficult” decision.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails
Read more on The West Australian
