Footage of Elijah Hollands showing signs of erratic behaviour before Carlton’s loss to Collingwood on Thursday night is causing a stir.
It comes as footy greats have all been left asking the same question after the 23-year-old’s behaviour throughout the game left many concerned for his wellbeing.
Michael Voss made the only public statement about Hollands’ condition after the game when the Blues coach said Hollands was “shattered” and felt he “let people down” following the five-point loss.
Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Hollands did not record a disposal from 60 per cent game time and disturbing footage showed him behaving in an unusual manner on the MCG, looking out of sorts.
While the AFL community has widely wrapped its arm around the former Gold Coast player as its chief concern, serious questions are now being asked about why the club allowed him to play.
Carlton has not made a public statement about the situation.
However, football journalist Sam Edmund reported on Friday afternoon Carlton officials are certain Hollands was not under the influence of any drugs or substances.
The club is reportedly adamant Hollands’ behaviour was the result of a complex mental health issue.
As first reported by football journalist Tom Morris, the AFL has contacted the club about Hollands’ behaviour.
“We are having on-going discussions with Carlton and also ensuring Elijah has the relevant support,” AFL spokesperson Jay Allen said in a statement.
Further concerning vision of Hollands’ behaviour before the game has now come to light.
One fan video that is spreading across multiple social media platforms appears to show Hollands taking a shot for goal during an early warm up. The video shows the kick from 30m out on a minor angle sent the Sherrin bobbling up towards the behind post before it dribbled over the boundary line.
Another video shared by the club on Instagram showed Hollands displaying glimpses of unusual hand movement as the team ran onto the field has also raised eyebrows.
Footy greats Kane Cornes and David King on Friday questioned why Hollands was cleared to play.
Cornes pointed out it would be expected that Hollands would have spoken to his brother Ollie, his line coach, senior coach, teammates and medical staff before the game.
“It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“Do Carlton understand the seriousness? Saying he had an off night, all of that, is that going to cut it? I don’t think it is.
“It’s alarming for me.”
He went on to say: “There is a broader discussion to what led to him being out there.
“Was this man fit to start? What gave you the confidence he was OK to play the game when all the vision speaks to the contrary.
“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances and one the club has to confront. What the club has done wont cut it.”
His comments were in response to reports that Carlton officials told journalists Hollands had simply had an “off night”.
Fox Footy analyst David King also expressed shock at how officials didn’t take action until so late in the game.
“From a football point of view, the responsibility of the line coach or head coach to see this problem in real time and the fact it was unchecked for three quarters alarms me,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“I don’t understand how so many people in the stadium can see he is not contributing to this game. He was not assisting his team, he couldn’t get his hands on the footy, he was rattled, he was out of position, why did he play three quarters?
“If Elijah had sat out at half time, use the bench rotations, find a way to subsidise losing that player. He offered nothing for three and a half quarters of footy. How does that happen? I don’t understand that from a line coach point of view.
“I couldn’t stop watching him, you could tell something was off.”
Football journalist Mitch Cleary told Channel 7 after the game Carlton staff were monitoring Hollands’ heart rate and were also aware he had a bad night sleep on Wednesday night.
Among the ugliest pieces of vision captured during the game was one incident where Hollands appeared to be showing his middle finger towards teammates and sections of the crowd.
“He seemed to be in an altered state. He ran around for 60 per cent game time without a possession,” the Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy’s coverage.
“There is footage, which is disturbing, of him throwing the bird at teammates. At one stage he seemed to be in the Collingwood huddle.
“We know he’s had his issues with mental health, he’s spoken really bravely about the alcohol issues he had.
“They’ll tell us what they can. Some people will ask did they do enough to be aware of the fact he was in the right stage to come out here.
“He didn’t seem to know what was going on out there. He finished the game on the bench. The footage of him throwing the bird to the crowd, to teammates is disturbing.”
In his post-game press conference, Voss confirmed he spent time with Hollands after the game.
“He was really disappointed with how he started the game, really upset, he feels like he’s let me down,” the Carlton coach said.
“I had a good chat with him, he was pretty emotional after the game.
“He didn’t play a great game and he struggled to get his way into it, he was clearly really disappointed with his performance.
“Obviously with the importance of the night he feels like he’s let people down, we’ve just got to keep supporting people through those situations.”
Hollands had played 75 per cent of the game until three-quarter time but he was benched for most of the final quarter as Collingwood mowed down the Blues.
Last year, Voss confirmed Carlton had asked Hollands to explore his options and look for a trade to another club, explaining he was “disappointed” with the 23-year-old’s off-field issues.
Hollands took personal leave last year — later revealing he had been battling mental health and alcohol issues.
He took a second leave of absence during the season where he told staff he was making himself unavailable.
He was delisted by Carlton after the 2025 season but was given the opportunity to train during the off-season and was added to the club’s rookie list in the pre-season supplemental selection period.
