Collingwood forward Bobby Hill will not feature in Saturday’s preliminary final against Brisbane.
7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary has revealed that the Norm Smith medallist will again be on the sidelines after coach Craig McRae ruled him out for the blockbuster MCG game.
McRae’s decision makes it hard to see Hill featuring in the grand final as well, if Collingwood progresses, even though he said had not been totally ruled out.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
“I don’t want to take away hope for the young lad,” McRae said.
“He’s progressing towards that, I mentioned that to him, ‘Please keep training well, keep turning up, keep being present, keep getting better every day’.
“There may be a world where that could be true.”
Hill has been dealing with personal issues and has only played once (as a sub) since Round 15.
But in recent weeks he has shown positive signs at training and there was some hope of him being named as the sub.
Hill’s last game was in Round 21 which was actually against Brisbane.
While he only managed four touches, he did score a goal after he was injected into the game.
McRae said the leadership group were also part of the Hill call.
“We’re having ongoing conversations all the time about our list and where we fit and Bobby is a part of those conversations. There’s a lot of layers to it,” he said.
On Wednesday the 25-year-old received a glowing endorsement from his superstar teammate Nick Daicos.
“I always light up speaking about Bobby because he’s just so exciting,” Daicos told 7NEWS.
“He’s one of those players that at the end of your career you will say you played with because he’s so exciting in the forward line.
“You kick the ball anywhere near him, and he seems to get the job done, obviously has electric pace, and he seems to thrive on the big stage.”
Cleary said defender Jeremy Howe’s spot would be decided at match committee this afternoon (Thursday).
Howe is a good chance of returning from a groin injury but McRae said they needed to determine whether “he’s fit to play or fit to perform”.
Cleary also said Mason Cox and Brody Mihocek were certain starters while the retiring Will Hoskin-Elliott was a left-field consideration as sub.
With Cox set to play, it seems more heartbreak is on the way for key forward Dan McStay.
McStay was dumped for the qualifying final against Adelaide, adding to a string of devastating blows over the past four years.
In his final year at Brisbane in 2022, he played in the Lions’ heavy preliminary final defeat to eventual premiers Geelong.
The following year, the big left-footer injured his knee in Collingwood’s one-point preliminary final win over GWS, denying him a chance to play in the grand final against his old side, which the Magpies went on to win.
Months later, McStay tore his ACL in his first session of the 2024 pre-season and played just five games for the year.
In 2025, the 30-year-old has played 18 games and has largely been able to stay fit.
But with a sore shoulder and a lean run of form, the Magpies have turned to Cox, despite McStay having played the last 11 games of the home and away season.
Stream free on
