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Collingwood\u2019s 2023 premiership hero Bobby Hill will take a break from football after he and the club agreed to part ways.<\/p>\n
The Magpies confirmed the mutual decision in a statement on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
![\"Bobby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785455891_436_e1c97179c54fe4eb4a930090386b49a1092b1a25.jpeg\")
Bobby Hill, pictured at training in June, was subjected to a vile racist rant on social media.Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank Bobby for the contribution he has made to the Collingwood Football Club,\u201d Collingwood\u2019s executive general manager of football Charlie Gardiner said before holding a press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club has been working with Bobby over the past 12 months to put support structures in place to help him work through some personal matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite this, Bobby has unfortunately struggled to meet his commitments to the club consistently this year and agreed that taking a break from football is the best decision for him and his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cBobby will always be recognised as a premiership player and a Norm Smith medallist at Collingwood and we wish him all the very best.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Hill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ba9691440b4e903da76cd6c8035ed3b435f38147.jpeg\")
Hill after the 2023 grand final with the Norm Smith and premiership medals.Getty Images<\/p>\n
Sadly, the decision was confirmed after Hill received a horrific direct message<\/a> on Instagram from a fan angry with the 2023 Norm Smith medallist\u2019s output over the past 12 months.<\/p>\n The Age chose to blur out the worst of the language directed at Hill.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have disappointed this whole club and it\u2019s [sic] 100 thousand plus fans what you have done the last 18 months,\u201d the account posted. \u201cI hope nothing but the worst for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Hill said in the Collingwood statement he hoped to regain his passion for the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll always be proud to have been part of this club and thankful for the opportunity to represent Collingwood \u2013 I leave with memories I\u2019ll cherish forever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to take a break from football to keep working on myself and regain my passion for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n The racial abuse comes a week after Magpies defender Isaac Quaynor was booed by Adelaide fans<\/a> despite being the victim of a homophobic slur from Izak Rankine in a game last year.<\/p>\n Coach Craig McRae threw his support Hill after the Pies\u2019 25-point loss to the Cats<\/a>, which was compounded by a suspected broken arm to star defender Jeremy Howe.<\/p>\n Hill has not played a game this season after managing only 14 last year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a crazy place at times, isn\u2019t it? I don\u2019t do social media, so bear with me, but I did look at a website which had feedback, and the feedback is unbelievable,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a cesspool for people just to vent. I find it fascinating that\u2019s actually something that people would be interested in. If Bobby\u2019s listening there, I\u2019m sorry to hear that\u2019s the case. We\u2019ll always love him. It\u2019s sad to hear that.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article The Pies\u2019 task of claiming a berth in the top six has become more difficult after injuries to Howe and reliable defender Harry Perryman.<\/p>\n Nick Daicos sent a scare through the Collingwood camp when he left the field in the first quarter to receive treatment after having his right foot trodden on. McRae said the superstar suffered bruising from the incident.<\/p>\n Daicos played out the game, finishing with 35 disposals but, with tagger Oisin Mullin shadowing him, did not have his usual impact.<\/p>\n Howe has been sent to hospital for scans on a suspected broken left arm. The injury is to the same arm he broke horrifically in the first round of 2023.<\/p>\n The Pies believe the injury is on the minor end but may require surgery, placing his participation in the rest of the home-and-away season in doubt.<\/p>\n The Pies\u2019 defence is already missing skipper Darcy Moore, while Perryman is also facing time on the sidelines. Collingwood, whose six-game winning streak is over, play West Coast in Perth next week before daunting games against Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions at the MCG to round out the home and away season.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s gone to hospital to get it checked out,\u201d McRae said of Howe. \u201cThe likelihood is he\u2019ll probably need an operation, but it\u2019s probably too early to tell until the surgeons and specialists have seen that.<\/p>\n \u201c[From] the things I\u2019ve been told is it\u2019s on the minor end, but still it\u2019s going to require an operation that might be able to mend it. [It\u2019s] nothing like the last one, but he\u2019s got a plate in there since the injury.\u201d<\/p>\n McRae said Perryman\u2019s hamstring injury, which he sustained in the second term, was also on the minor end. The new issue is on the opposite leg to the hamstring he strained earlier this season.<\/p>\n Hamstring strains typically require a minimum 21 days\u2019 recovery, which would have him in doubt to play again before the finals.<\/p>\n The Pies, who have dropped a spot to ninth, will likely need to win all three of their remaining matches to break into the top six and avoid having to go all the way from a wildcard slot.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/da39a23147836f5ef06183567b8c5ed10eb61a619e870a8364a6a54b3776b2b6.png\")
An edited version of the horrific message Bobby Hill received.Instagram<\/p>\n![\"Interim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785455893_294_73d1e63375b01f796ffbf48fbc111a366fe9920b.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dc3b513404056b70f814e63e7d0129add7356779.jpeg\")
A hamstrung Harry Perryman sits on the bench during Thursday night\u2019s game.AFL Photos<\/p>\n