Footage of Elijah Hollands in discussion with Carlton head coach Michael Voss and head of development Jordan Russell has been described as “unsettling” by Gerard Whateley.
The AFL 360 co-host was left shaken by the quarter-time and half-time footage and suggested more should have been done for the Carlton star.
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Hollands suffered a “mental health episode” during the match and has subsequently been admitted to hospital.
Whateley described the incident and subsequent fallout as “probably the most unsettling story I’ve seen in my time covering the game”.
His comments came after reviewing match footage which showed Hollands engaged in conversation with Voss during the quarter-time break.
Voss approached the 23-year-old and they exchanged a brief chat before play resumed.
Hollands also had a discussion with another member of staff, Russell, at half-time, with Whateley alleging that meant they were aware of the ongoing situation.
“The idea that this (situation) concluded and then was revealed as an issue is just not true,” Whateley alleged.
“People in the stands had seen it, but those close to him and have responsibility for him were deeply involved with him during the breaks.
“I think one of the dangerous consequences of having this play out in front of a huge crowd and on the main stage of our No.1 sport in the country is there’s a conversation around one man’s mental health, which has very little regard for his mental health.
“All the stopgaps that could’ve been put in place to not have him in this position at the moment, hugely problematic – and something that Carlton are going to have to own.”
Hollands’ erratic behaviour during the match was noticed by Collingwood players, according to Brayden Maynard.
He revealed Magpies players overheard “chatter” about Hollands’ condition.
“I wasn’t aware of what was going on, but I think there was a bit of chatter happening and I didn’t pay much attention to it at all… if I did, I definitely would have said something,” Maynard said.
“I overheard a few things, but as I said, I was too focused on the game to really understand what was actually going on.
“(Hollands) was definitely around the area and people were chatting about it, but I was focused on playing the game and if I did notice something myself with Elijah I would have said something, but I was too focused on the game and I can understand why it’s such a big topic.”
