Collingwood coach Craig McRae has ruled Bobby Hill out of Thursday night’s AFL finals clash with Adelaide, but remains hopeful the Norm Smith medallist can still play a part in their premiership assault. But Hawthorn great Jordan Lewis says Hill does not deserve to take a teammate’s spot in the finals after playing just one half of footy across the last three months.
Hill has been dealing with personal issues and has not featured for the Pies since round 15, when he came on as a sub. The star forward was also absent from Collingwood’s main training session on Tuesday and McRae confirmed that he won’t play against the Crows in the first qualifying final at Adelaide Oval.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has ruled Bobby Hill out of their AFL finals clash with Adelaide but remains hopeful the Norm Smith Medallist will return this year. Pic: Getty
“No, Bobby has got some family stuff today, we supported him with some of the family stuff he’s going through,” McRae said on Tuesday. “He missed training today but he’s been training exceptionally well and it’s likely he’ll be here tomorrow and the next day so we can set him up for potentially a tilt later on in the campaign.
“He won’t be available, he was never a chance to be available (for the Crows game), we’re just getting some load into him. Were rapt to have him back in our program and good to see him smiling again.”
The small forward asked McRae to hold out a glimmer of hope that he’d be back this year when they met for a recent chat. And the coach’s revelation that Hill is still a chance to be parachuted into the squad in coming weeks, shows that he intends to do just that.
McRae said Hill’s absence from training on Tuesday wouldn’t impact his hopes of earning a recall. “He’s taken a few big strides this week and the way he’s trained and been a part of match sim, we’re excited, we’re excited to have him back smiling that’s the main part,” he added.
Hawks legend raises concerns around Bobby Hill’s return
As things currently stand, Hill could be in line to earn a recall over the next couple of weeks, depending on how the Pies fare against minor premiers Adelaide. But Hawthorn’s four-time premiership great Lewis reckons it would be unfair to include Hill at the expense of a teammate who’d given Collingwood their ‘wholehearted’ commitment all season.
“I don’t think he deserves to play, is my opinion,” Lewis told Fox Footy’s On the Couch. “I think everyone who commits themselves, wholeheartedly, week in week out, every minute of the day to become a player in a finals series – I think they deserve the spot over a star player coming in who has been ill-disciplined throughout the season.
“I think they’ve got a really big decision to make – what message does that send the group to bring in (the) player? Does it seem desperate? And do you reward players who haven’t adhered to the culture that you’re trying to set inside the club?”
Collingwood’s Bobby Hill has only played one half of AFL footy in three months after coming on as a sub in round 15 against St Kilda. Pic: Getty
McRae has another big decision to make about whether to include Mason Cox for Dan McStay against the Crows. Forgotten big man Cox is in line to return for just his ninth game this season, with McStay facing the prospect of more finals heartache.
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McStay was forced to watch Collingwood’s 2023 premiership triumph from the sidelines after hurting his knee in the preliminary final. And after kicking just three goals in his last seven games, he could be forced to make way for the experienced Cox.
“We’ll weigh up whether we go with Dan, or some other options, like Mason, his name might be there for consideration,” McRae admitted. “We’re not quite there yet, but we’re close.”
Pressure forward Beau McCreery has been declared fit to tackle the Crows, despite dealing with some foot soreness. While Adelaide will be missing superstar Izak Rankine as he serves a four-game ban for a homophobic slur during the round 23 victory over Collingwood.
with AAP