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"Upmost confidence": Pies CEO teases potential Bobby Hill September return
Jaiden Sciberras • September 1st, 2025 2:00 pm
Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly has provided an update on Norm Smith Medallist Bobby Hill following what has been a troubling run in 2025.
After playing in all of the side’s first 14 games this season, Hill stepped away from the club ahead of Round 16 due to personal reasons, featuring in just one half of AFL football since.
In what presents as a brilliant sign for both Hill and the Pies, the small forward made a return to full training last week ahead of final football, off the back of a request to coach Craig McRae to permit a spot for his return within September.
Following Collingwood’s main session late last week, club champion Nick Daicos expressed his pleasure in watching Hill return to the track.
“He was awesome. I think if you watch training, you realise how electric he is, it’s great to have him back and in great spirits,” Daicos said.
“We love having Bobby inside the four walls, he’s such a joyful person (but) it’s a day-by-day process with Bob and it’s been great seeing him train so well.
“I think he’s really enjoying his footy and I think the main thing for us is he’s got a smile on his face and he’s joking around inside the club.
“We know Bob is super important to what we do, it’s a day-by-day process with him. I think the strength and conditioning team just want to make sure he’s completing his training which he’s doing at the moment.
“As I said, it’s so exciting to see him out there with the ball in hand, taking blokes on, so that’s up to them when he’s fit to be ready. We’re just enjoying seeing him around.”
Speaking on Monday morning ahead of the Pies’ first final in Adelaide this Thursday, Kelly extended his support for the 25-year-old, expressing his confidence in a potential September return.
“It’s hard, you just sort of put your arm around these guys,” Kelly told SEN Fireball.
“It’s a pressure industry, and everything gets scrutinised. Unfortunately, social media has played a role in that.
“The players sometimes need to learn, and the wives or partners, turn off the comments and just don’t read it. It’s hard mate.
“All we’ve done with Bobby is get him back into training, have some fun again, get the smile back on his face and then see what happens.
“We’ve got the best coach; we’ve got the best team of people with Charlie Gardiner (GM of football) and the high-performance team around him.
“(We have the) upmost confidence of how we can go about getting him back in a spot where… who knows what happens, but it is certainly exciting to watch.”
Collingwood’s will face the Crows in the first Qualifying Final this Thursday night at Adelaide Oval.
