The Hill name is synonymous with the Hawthorn faithful. 

Many remember three-time premiership Hawk Brad Hill dazzling with his run and carry on the wing across his 95 games in the brown and gold. 

Now, a new era of Hawks fans will get to see the Hill name in action, with the club recruiting rugby league convert Matt Hill, Brad’s cousin, as a Category B Rookie ahead of the 2025 AFL season. 

Although, as Collingwood fans would know, the Hill name doesn’t end there, with Ian ‘Bobby’ Hill’s 2023 Norm Smith Medal performance becoming a history-making moment. 

That same Hill is also cousin to Hawthorn’s Matt, highlighting the incredible talent that runs in the family. 

For Matt, the football heritage doesn’t end there. 

He also shares family connections with the Garletts, who produced former AFL players Dayle and Jeff, and the Kicketts, who produced champion duo Derek and Dale. 

On his Mum's side of the family, Hill is cousins with a quartet of current players - Collingwood's Ash Johnson, Melbourne's Shane McAdam, Gold Coast's Jy Farrar and GWS' Toby Bedford. 

Plus, he already has a family bond with Hawthorn Indigenous Player Development Manager Jamie Bennell, who is also his cousin. 

In terms of Indigenous background, Hill is a proud Ballardong, Wardandi, Gajerrong and Bunuba man, highlighting his connections across the south-west and the southern West Kimberley in Western Australia, as well as Katherine in the Northern Territory.

He also attended boarding school in Yeppoon, Queensland when he was just 13 years of age. 

With sport running through his veins, Hill’s sporting journey began to take off when he was 16 years old, as he balanced both Aussie Rules and rugby league while suiting up for the Yeppoon Swans and Broncos Academy. 

He then took up an opportunity with the Melbourne Storm Academy and the club’s First Nations Pathways Program when he was 18 years old, scoring 29 tries while playing as a wing and centre in the Storm’s Jersey Flegg Cup (a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales) team. 

However, upon his move to Melbourne, Hill admitted there was something he was missing. 

“I’ve always wanted to come back and play footy,” he said. 

“Ever since I was in Melbourne, I missed it more.”

Following his impressive stints as a fullback, wing and centre throughout his rugby league career, the 20-year-old has a few AFL positions in mind that he’d like to try his hand at. 

“I played a bit of fullback and I was mostly in the centres last season,” Hill explained.

“If I get more fitness, I want to try the midfield and see how that is, or probably half-back, in the backline.”

Playing in the right position is one thing, but playing in the right way is another thing. 

Ahead of his first week of pre-season training, Hill hoped to bring some important qualities to the AFL. 

“I think (I’ll bring) resilience,” he said.

“I’ll keep working hard and try to compete each week.” 

The rookie signing also highlighted another exciting characteristic for Hawks fans to keep an eye on. 

“A bit of speed I think, one-on-one, beating players,” he said.

Hill joined basketball convert Jaime Uhr-Henry in joining the Hawks ahead of the 2025 AFL season.

You can read more about Uhr-Henry’s story here. 

Watch the full interview with Matt Hill below.