Bobby Hill (Australian footballer)

Ian "Bobby" Hill (born 9 February 2000) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He made his AFL debut with Greater Western Sydney in 2019. Hill was awarded the Norm Smith Medal in the 2023 AFL Grand Final.

Bobby Hill
Hill in May 2025
Personal information
Full name	Ian Hill
Date of birth	(2000-02-09) 9 February 2000 (age 25)
Place of birth	Northam, Western Australia
Original team(s)	Perth (WAFL)
Draft	No. 24, 2018 AFL draft
Debut	14 July 2019, Greater Western Sydney vs. Richmond, at MCG
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb)
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current club	Collingwood
Number	23
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2019–2022	Greater Western Sydney	041 0(34)
2023–	Collingwood	061 0(83)
Total		102 (117)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
2025	Indigenous All-Stars	1 (4)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 21, 2025.
Career highlights
AFL premiership player: 2023 Norm Smith Medal: 2023 Collingwood leading goalkicker: 2024 Mark of the Year: 2024
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Hill is an Indigenous man with Whadjuk-Ballardong Noongar ancestry. Named after his father, Hill prefers to be called Bobby. Born in Northam, Western Australia, Hill attended Northam Senior High School, before completing his high school education in Perth at Wesley College as part of their Indigenous Scholarship Program. He first came to notice when he was selected in the Western Australia under 16s.

Hill is the cousin of Bradley and Stephen Hill.^[1] Another of his cousins is Gerald Ugle, one of the inaugural GWS players.^[2] Other cousins include former Western Bulldogs and West Coast player Josh Hill, and Leon Davis who played at Collingwood.

AFL career

Hill was selected by Greater Western Sydney (GWS) at pick #24 in the 2018 national draft.^[3] He made his senior debut against Richmond^[4][5] in round 17 of the 2019 season. Hill played 41 games with the club including a winning preliminary final in 2019, and is known for his blistering pace, clean hands and the ability to leap in the air after the football. Hill designed GWS's 2020 Indigenous jumper, which is worn by them as an alternative strip.^[6]

During the 2021 trade period Hill put his name forward requesting a trade to Essendon, but no deal could be reached.^[7] The following year he again requested a trade to Victoria, this time to Collingwood, and was traded on 3 October. The Giants trade Hill and its round-three selection (pick No.40) to Collingwood for its round-three selection (43) and its future second-round selection.^[8]

Hill played a major role in Collingwood's 2023 premiership season, and topped his year off with what was described as an "incredible performance" in the grand final.^[9] Facing Brisbane, Hill collected 18 disposals and kicked 4.2 to collect all 15 votes to win the Norm Smith Medal, as Collingwood defeated Brisbane by four points.

Hill won the 2024 Mark of the Year for his mark at the top of the goal square in round 14 against North Melbourne.

Health issues

In May 2022, Hill was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He had surgery and spent the rest of the year recovering.^[10]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2024 season.^[11]

Legend

G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks
#	Played in that season's  premiership team

Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)
				G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2019	Greater Western Sydney	37	8	7	5	49	29	78	18	22	0.9	0.6	6.1	3.6	9.8	2.3	2.8
2020[a]	Greater Western Sydney	37	5	4	5	28	15	43	10	11	0.8	1.0	5.6	3.0	8.6	2.0	2.2
2021	Greater Western Sydney	37	17	14	12	113	41	154	33	48	0.8	0.7	6.6	2.4	9.1	1.9	2.8
2022	Greater Western Sydney	37	11	9	8	62	32	94	24	24	0.8	0.7	5.6	2.9	8.5	2.2	2.2
2023#	Collingwood	23	24	33	14	172	75	247	78	56	1.4	0.6	7.2	3.1	10.3	3.3	2.3
2024	Collingwood	23	23	30	28	187	69	256	81	48	1.3	1.2	8.1	3.0	11.1	3.5	2.1
Career			88	97	72	611	261	872	244	209	1.1	0.8	6.9	3.0	9.9	2.8	2.4

Notes

1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.