From cancer to the Norm Smith Medal: Bobby Hill’s grand final fairytale

Bobby Hill spent Saturday morning watching highlights of Cyril Rioli win his Norm Smith Medal in 2015.

He then went out onto the MCG in front of 100,024 people and nervelessly imitated his idol.

Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill celebrates with Bobby Hill jnr.Credit: Paul Rovere

“It’s unbelievable ... when we got the trade done, we thought maybe play finals but to top it off and win the premiership is unbelievable,” he said.

The indelible memory of Collingwood’s last premiership in 2010 was the smother of the century by Heath Shaw when he snuck up on Nick Riewoldt like a librarian, as Dennis Cometti perfectly described it.

Hill delivered the moment of this grand final. It might have even been mark of the year if they counted grand finals. But he won’t mind. It was more pantomime than library as suddenly, from nowhere, Hill appeared up over, and on top of, Brandon Starcevich.

“The mark? I thought I was Jeremy Howe for a second. I didn’t actually see the ball until I was coming down, but yeah it was a good kick and I got in the right spot and ended up marking it, so it was good,” he said.

“It was just a good kick. He put it on his head and I jumped on it, so it was good.”

Hill kicked the goal. Of course he did – he loves a big stage.

“I was watching Cyril Rioli Norm Smith highlights this morning, so what a coincidence that was to get it. It was a good thing for me, but to have a premiership medal around my neck with my teammates is unbelievable.”

Rioli was in Hill’s mind again when he took off after Jaspa Fletcher down the outer wing in the second term. Giving up a head start, he gained on him and ran him down to force Fletcher to hurry his kick a half second sooner than he wanted.

“I just go back to Cyril Rioli again (with the run down). I’ve got Pressure King written under my jumper. My one wood is pressure and I did that today.”

According to Scott Pendlebury, Hill might have had Cyril in his heart, but he had his coach in his ear.

“Fly always says to him to go out there and set the MCG alight,” Scott Pendlebury told Channel Seven.

“This ground is built for you. You can run, you can dare, you can play in space. He is quiet around the club but when he gets out there, he’s a competitor and he wants to win. He could have kicked seven today – fair day for a small forward.”

Bobby Hill and Scott Pendlebury celebrate a goal during the game.Credit: Eddie Jim

Hill is the archetypal Craig McRae player. He is quick, pressures, takes the game on, plays intuitively and creatively. And has fun. He celebrates every goal like a lottery win.

He ought to. His journey to the Norm Smith Medal at the biggest club in the country has been extraordinary. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May last year and, after surgery, missed the rest of the season with the Giants. He feared he might not play again.

“Yeah it was a risk,” he said. “I always thought it could have been worse, but with my family and everyone around to help me go through all the tough times was unbelievable.”

During this year’s finals, a death in the family drew him away, but he remained connected to the club throughout.

Hill with his premiership medal and Norm Smith Medal.Credit: Getty Images

“It was pretty hard, the last month – the passing of my Aunty May in that tough week before playing Giants. It was a tough time for my family, but I know she is up there looking down and cheering me on,” he said.

After Collingwood’s experiences of recent years, with the release of the Do Better report of historic systemic racism at the club, having the Norm Smith Medal claimed by this Whadjuk-Ballardong Noongar man – the nephew of Leon Davis – reinforced a sense of transition at Collingwood.

“Leon, my uncle, he has been unbelievable for me at the footy club – him, Nev Jetta and all the rest of the Indigenous boys, Krak (Andrew Krakouer) all those guys. To have them come through the footy club has been unbelievable,” Hill said.

His first goal was Collingwood’s second of the match and classically chaos Collingwood: a soccer kick out of the centre that fell right for Beau McCreery, who surprisingly turned inside where the danger was coming from and squeezed a kick through to Hill. He converted.

Hill’s second goal was better put down as a Daicos goal. The Brothers Daicos combined on a wing and through half-forward to open space ahead where none seemed to exist and found Hill near the boundary. Hill converted again and turned to blow a kiss to the crowd.

And then came those goals in the second term. The speccy and goal, and then the one that was pure adrenaline. Another ball went long searchingly for him, with Ryan Lester fretfully in front feeling for Hill. But Hill worked him under the ball, gathered quickly, turned one way, spun back again on his left foot, and curled in the goal.

“That was coming off instinct – I knew he was gonna jump and I ended up finishing off,” Hill said.

He had four goals to half-time, but mark him down for five for the game. He cut a cheeky pass to Scott Pendlebury early in the third to kick it from 25 out.

Bobby Hill, a Magpie via the Giants. He is now a Magpie Giant.

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