Originally from Dubbo,[2] Hill was playing with the Forster Tuncurry Hawks as a 15-year-old when he was spotted by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs talent scouts.

At the time he was undertaking a carpentry apprenticeship and opted to remain with his junior club, where he would play under the coaching of Dennis Tutty in the period when the Forster Tuncurry Hawks would win back-to-back Clayton Cup titles.

He would miss Melbourne's 1999 NRL grand final win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons due to a knee reconstruction.

[7] Having won the 1999 Premiership, the Melbourne Storm travelled to England to contest the 2000 World Club Challenge against Super League Champions St. Helens, with Hill playing at five-eighth and scoring two tries in the victory.

[4] At the end of the 2000 NRL season, Hill would be selected for the Australian squad for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup,[4] scoring two tries in Australia's 66–10 win over Samoa in the quarter-finals.