Collingwood premiership hero Bobby Hill is facing the prospect of sitting out the 2026 AFL season as the fallout from his split with long-time partner Georgia Devlin continues to cast a shadow over his football future.
The 25-year-old Norm Smith medalllist has not resumed full training with the Magpies and remains on indefinite leave as he works through personal issues that first surfaced during the second half of 2025.
According to The Age, the small forward has not returned to training after dealing with personal issues during the latter half of 2025.
Hill’s absence follows a turbulent year off the field. The livewire forward and Devlin, the mother of his two young sons, quietly separated mid-season, with Devlin returning to Western Australia.
The pair unfollowed each other on social media and removed photos together, signalling the breakdown of their relationship.
During his five-week hiatus last year, Hill posted a poignant image of himself with his sons alongside the caption: ‘Gonna miss you guys. Dad loves yous.’
Bobby Hill has not resumed training as Collingwood prepare for the 2026 season without clarity on return
The premiership forward remains on indefinite leave after personal issues disrupted the second half of 2025
He returned briefly in Round 21 but missed the following week and did not travel with the team to Adelaide despite reports he had initially planned to join the squad.
Concerns around his wellbeing intensified as veteran journalist Caroline Wilson revealed there were days he had been uncontactable.
‘I do know that his family is really worried about him, his friends are really worried about him,’ Wilson said at the time.
‘Taking the football aside, because Collingwood badly need him and they need him playing well, this is far more serious than that now and I hope the right people are intervening.’
Hill’s cousin, St Kilda star Bradley Hill, reportedly reached out to Collingwood in an attempt to support him – a move that is understood to have created tension within the extended family.
The personal turmoil escalated in December when Devlin revealed she was pregnant, sharing festive photos with their sons as she showed off her baby bump.
Hill did not publicly comment on the announcement. Hours later, he shared a video of NFL quarterback Shedeur Sanders responding to critics.
‘That’s how life is, everybody’s not in the best situation, you know. But it’s no excuse. You gotta go out there and perform. A lot of people want to see me fail. It ain’t gonna happen.’
Hill and Georgia Devlin split mid-season, with Devlin relocating to Western Australia with their children
Club officials insist Hill’s health and wellbeing remain the priority as his AFL return remains unclear
Collingwood reaffirmed Hill is contracted through 2030 despite speculation surrounding his football future
The clip ended with the words ‘the marathon continues’, with Hill adding a 100 emoji.
Collingwood have consistently reiterated their support for the contracted forward, who is tied to the club through 2030 on a deal reportedly worth up to $750,000 per season.
‘We care for Bobby and his health and wellbeing remain the priority as he continues to work through his personal situation,’ Magpies executive general manager of football Charlie Gardiner said earlier this year.
‘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.’
However, with Hill yet to rejoin the main training group and no timeline set for his return, football insiders believe it would take months for him to rebuild match fitness even if he were to resume immediately.
A stint in the VFL would likely follow before senior selection could be considered.
