Terry Hill

Australian rugby league footballer (1972–2024)

Terry Hill (22 January 1972 – 24 April 2024) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Hill greatest influence on the game was changing the draft system. 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. Hill and 126 other plaintiffs took the NSW Rugby League to court, arguing the draft was a restraint of trade.

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.

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

Hill was born in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. He had three children with his first wife, Tracey Benson. Hill died of a suspected heart attack while holidaying in the Philippines, on 24 April 2024, at the age of 52.