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Terry Hill

Terry Hill (22 January 1972 – 24 April 2024) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a centre in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the NRL for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Eastern Suburbs, Western Suburbs Magpies, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Wests Tigers as well as representative football for New South Wales and Australia. He was also well known for his promotional television work with Lowes Menswear.

Terry Hill
Personal information
Born(1972-01-22)22 January 1972
Newtown, New South Wales, Australia
Died24 April 2024(2024-04-24) (aged 52)
Philippines
Playing information
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight105 kg (16 st 7 lb)
PositionCentre, Five-eighth, Lock
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1990 South Sydney 9 2 0 0 8
1991 Eastern Suburbs 13 8 0 0 32
1992–93 Western Suburbs 33 7 0 0 28
1994–99 Manly Sea Eagles 126 61 0 0 244
2000–03 Wests Tigers 49 8 0 0 32
2005 Manly Sea Eagles 16 3 0 0 12
Total 246 89 0 0 356
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1993–97 City Origin 5 3 0 0 12
1993–00 New South Wales 14 0 0 0 0
1994–98 Australia 9 8 0 0 32
Source: [1]
Medals
Men's rugby league
Representing  Australia
Rugby League World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1995 England/Wales Team

Playing career

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Hill began his career at South Sydney in 1990 making his first grade debut for the club in round 1 against Canterbury. He scored a try in South Sydney's 14-10 loss at the old Sydney Football Stadium. He would play nine games in his debut season as the club finished with the Wooden Spoon. He went to Eastern Suburbs in 1991 and Western Suburbs in 1992/1993.[2]

Hill moved to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 1994. At the end of the 1994 NSWRL season, he went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour. In 1995, Hill played 16 games and scored nine tries as the club won the Minor Premiership. Hill would play in that season's grand final where Manly suffered a shock 17-4 defeat against Canterbury. Manly had only lost two games all year heading into the decider. The following year, Manly claimed the Minor Premiership again and reached their second consecutive grand final. Hill played at centre in the clubs 20-8 victory over St. George.[3]

Hill was the season's top try-scorer in the ARL half of 1997's split competition. Manly would claim a third straight Minor Premiership and also reach the grand final once again. Hill would play at centre in the grand final as Manly suffered a heart breaking 22-16 loss to Newcastle. In 2000, Hill signed for the newly formed Wests Tigers club. He played in their inaugural game, a 24-24 draw with Brisbane at Campbelltown Stadium.[4]

At the beginning of 2004, Hill had signed for South Sydney but a groin injury during pre-season training caused him to retire. By the end of the year, Hill was training once more with another former club, Manly-Warringah. He went on to make 16 appearances for Manly in the 2005 season. His final game in the top grade was a 46-22 loss against Minor Premiers Parramatta in the qualifying final.

Hill was called out of retirement in 2006 to play rugby union for the Central Coast Waves. He suffered a knee injury during the Grand Final of the NSW Country Caldwell Cup and was unable to take any part in the Waves' 2006 Shute Shield campaign.

Representative career

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Hill was selected to represent New South Wales in State of Origin series as a centre in six series:

Hill earned selection for the Australian national team on nine occasions from 1994 to 1998, scoring eight tries. He was a 1994 Kangaroo tourist before playing in his first international against New Zealand in 1995. Hill was reported for head-butting in this match and was suspended for four weeks, missing the following two tests. Hill would go on to play nine tests for Australia until 1998, including centre for Australia in their 16–8 win over England in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup Final at London's Wembley Stadium.

Career highlights

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Court case over draft system

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Hill greatest influence on the game was changing the draft system.[5] Hill became embroiled in the "External and Internal Draft" system in the 1991 season when, after agreeing to a playing and employment deal with the Western Suburbs Magpies, he was drafted from the Internal Draft pool by Eastern Suburbs.[6] Hill and 126 other plaintiffs took the NSW Rugby League to court, arguing the draft was a restraint of trade.[5] Hill's initial appeal was overturned and he eventually agreed to a three-year contract with Easts. By the end of 1991 the High Court had overturned the draft system and in 1992 Hill was given a release and he was able to move on to Western Suburbs Magpies.[6]

Television career

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Hill regularly appeared in television advertisements for Lowes Menswear. He was a regular contributor to Channel Nine's The Footy Show in the 1990s. Hill quit the program in 1998 claiming he wanted to focus on his football career.[7]

Coaching career

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Following his retirement from professional rugby league, Hill coached teams in the New South Wales Country Rugby League. Formerly with the Umina Bunnies, he was appointed head coach at the Kincumber Rugby League Football Club in the Central Coast Division for 2008.[8]

Controversies

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In 1994, Hill was selected on the Kangaroo touring squad for England. Shortly before the squad departed Australia, Hill was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on an ABC radio producer, Tony Twiss, and his friend Peter Krahe. The charges related to an incident outside the Woollahra Hotel on 24 September when Twiss and Krahe intervened in an argument involving Hill and his wife Tracey. There was discussion whether Hill would be dropped from the tour, but ARL executive chairman Ken Arthurson ultimately ruled that Hill was innocent until found guilty and allowed him to tour.[9][10]

Hill pled not guilty in January 1995,[11] and the trial took place in June.[12][13] In September, Hill was found guilty of the charges. He was fined $1,000 and put on a two-year good behaviour bond.[14][15] Later that month Hill played in the 1995 Grand Final and was selected in the Australian squad for the 1995 World Cup.[16]

In February 1997, Hill faced Manly Court on a drink-driving offence. He was presented as a man of good character despite these two convictions. This resulted in an internal review ordered by Police Commissioner Peter Ryan. It was revealed that Hill had not been fingerprinted when arrested in September 1994, which was why the charges had not shown up on his record.[17]

Personal life and death

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Hill was born in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. He had three children with his first wife, Tracey Benson.[18][19]

Hill died of a suspected heart attack while holidaying in the Philippines, on 24 April 2024, at the age of 52.[20][21]

References

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  • Matt Logue (12 March 2008). "Legend Q&A". Rugby League Week. pp. 38–391.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Terry Hill - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
  2. ^ "Terry Hill - Playing Career - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Terry Hill: Australian rugby league mourns death of cult hero aged 52". www.theguardian.com.
  4. ^ "Much-loved NRL hero Terry Hill dies unexpectedly at 52 years of age". 7news.com.au.
  5. ^ a b "Much-loved NRL hero Terry Hill dies aged 52". 7NEWS. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b Stewart, Bob (2007). The Games Are Not the Same:The Political Economy of Football in Australia. Melbourne University Press Academic Monograph Series. ISBN 978-0-522-85366-7.
  7. ^ Weidler, Danny (18 April 1998). "Test rep terry off the air". Sydney Sun Herald. p. 107.
  8. ^ "Hill delighted at new challenge". Central Coast Express Advocate. 18 October 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2007. [dead link‍]
  9. ^ Harvey, Sandra; Cowley, Michael (28 September 1994). "Charged RL player remains in squad". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 4.
  10. ^ "Test player charged". The Canberra Times. Vol. 70, no. 21, 714. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 September 1994. p. 2. Retrieved 24 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Not guilty plea". The Canberra Times. Vol. 70, no. 21, 831. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 January 1995. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Producer admits anger over tour selection". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 June 1995. p. 9.
  13. ^ "League star faces court". The Canberra Times. Vol. 70, no. 21, 966. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 June 1995. p. 19. Retrieved 24 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "League star Hill guilty". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 September 1995. p. 8.
  15. ^ "Hill fined for assault". The Canberra Times. Vol. 71, no. 22, 059. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 9 September 1995. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ Mascord, Steve (25 September 1995). "Super cub snub". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 47.
  17. ^ "Police exonerated over 'missing' assaults". Sun Herald. 25 May 1997. p. 98.
  18. ^ Dixon, Andrea (22 February 1998). "Sea Eagle wants bigger nest". Sydney Sun Herald. p. 60.
  19. ^ Weidler, Danny (2 August 1998). "Family illness hits Hill". Sydney Sun Herald. p. 91.
  20. ^ Eder, Billie; Decent, Tom (24 April 2024). "Terry Hill dies aged 52". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  21. ^ Snape, Jack (24 April 2024). "Terry Hill: Australian rugby league mourns death of cult hero aged 52". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
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