Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill has not returned to Collingwood for pre-season and is now on a leave of absence.
Hill did not come back with teammates on Thursday and was not at training on Friday, as he works through what the Magpies have deemed a “personal situation”.
The forward had an interrupted 2025, playing 14 games as he missed time due to personal reasons.
Hill, 25, split with his partner Georgia Devlin during the 2025 season and attempted to make a comeback in time for the finals but was not recalled to the Collingwood side in September.
The 2023 Norm Smith medallist and premiership player signed a contract extension in April that ties him to the Magpies until the end of 2030, and has been clear since he wants to stay at the club despite the personal issues.
Footy boss Charlie Gardiner said the Pies “care for Bobby and his health and wellbeing remain the priority as he continues to work through his personal situation”.
“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,” he said.
Collingwood moved its long session early on Friday to beat the heat, starting at 7.30am, and trained in largely comfortable conditions, with ruck Ilro Smit’s bucket hat and zinc combination a rare nod to the impending scorcher.
Isaac Quaynor largely watched the session after returning to the club in the new year with a minor hamstring injury, only taking part in very light jogging.
He was spotted stretching his right leg during the middle of the session as he stepped out on to the track to have a look at his teammates but appeared in good spirits.
Speedster Beau McCreery made a welcome return to most of training after a foot issue slowed him down before Christmas, with the dasher involved in most of the action.
Lachie Sullivan was part of the rehab group for part of the session with the right knee he aggravated late in 2025 noticeably strapped, but he showed little issue going through fitness drills with Dan Houston and Dan McStay.
Nick Daicos was in and out of the action to do his own running, after feeling ill on Friday morning.
Ageless veteran Scott Pendlebury spent some time with defenders, hinting at another possible move to half-back, something the veteran has attempted before.
As the heat rose, Collingwood finished the session off with a shuttle run, with winger Pat Lipinski, running machine Roan Steele and mature draftee Angus Anderson leading the pack.
New development coach Dyson Heppell looked strangely comfortable in the Collingwood colours, as the former Essendon skipper was vocal in running drills in his first session at the club.
Head coach Craig McRae was not there to oversee Heppell’s arrival, with McRae taking extended time off from the club.
The coach, who recently signed a new two-year extension, took a step back from head coaching duties last pre-season to allow Hayden Skipworth to lead the club, and has taken time off during pre-season in the past.
Originally published as Collingwood star Bobby Hill on ‘leave of absence’ as Pies return