Scott Hill

Former C’bury and Hunter Mariners lock/five-eighth missed Melbourne’s grand final win against the Dragons in 1999 when he suffered a serious head in a nightclub incident. In a stunning comeback the following year, the clever play-maker made his Test debut as an interchange player in Australia’s 52-0 thrashing of NZ in the ANZac Test before playing an important role at lock in NSW’s whitewash of Queensland. At the end of 2000 Hill was the lock forward in Australia’s 82-0 win against Papua New Guinea and scored two tries in the trial against NZ Residents – both used as lead-up matches to the World Cup. In England, Hill played in all six matches of the World Cup competition (five at lock and one from the interchange bench) and starred in Australia’s 40-12 win over NZ in the final. The 2001 season though, started in disastrous fashion when injury ruled him out of the early representative matches while Melbourne’s failure to make the semi-finals for the first time in the club’s career cost Hill a place on the Kangaroo Tour. In 2002 he played for NSW in two matches as an interchange player and made Test appearances against Great Britain and NZ but injury kept him out of the rep teams in 2003. The following year Hill returned to his best form but was overlooked by NSW selectors (and coach Phil Gould) who opted to bring Brad Fittler out of retirement when the Blues needed a five-eighth. His consistency, and utility value, was rewarded with selection in the Australian team during the Tri Nations competition at year’s end, where he appeared in one Test against Great Britain. Hill left the Storm following the club’s grand final loss to Brisbane to join the London Harlequins in the English Super League.