Autopsy 2026 Rd 6 Collapse. Copy. Paste.

[SurreyBlue]

10 umpires, 23 Collingwood players, 22 Carlton players, 10 coaches, countless physios, medical staff, a runner and trainers and they all said/did nothing? Close to, if not more than, 100 players and officials from both sides said/did nothing? Please!!! Just wait for the ALL facts.

Sorry, the Collingwood players and some admin, media are saying they saw plenty. Of course, they are all just laying the boots in, especially the opposition team on the night. Although the AFL aren’t helping or the media in that case.

 

[gbatman]

We all wondered why the club terminated his contract a year early and then gave him a train on opportunity over the preseason.

Most on this board wanted to see Elijah given another chance. It was probably a bit naive or optimistic to think a 3 month training block would be enough to show that he was on top of his issues and was right to go - no matter how much we wanted it to be.

I was one of the ones who wanted to see him given another chance if he earned it and regardless of whether that works out or not, that was the right call. Premierships are not won on being conservative. You have to take risks.

Plenty of teams have won flags with players like this who have failed and it has not affected their chances or the player has succeeded and the team has gone on with it.

Dusty Martin had a public outburst. He then went on to win multiple premierships. It can go either way.

There are a lot of people blaming the club for this. They need to pull their heads in. These are people who have not witnessed and dealt with people with addiction and mental health issues and don't understand it's not straightforward, not an exact science and not an easy fix. Sometimes it's not fixable at all.

When the club says they knew he was struggling, that does not mean they knew he was substance affected. Players struggling for whatever reason isn't uncommon in football.

We have given him a go knowing that failure was likely. The alternative is taking a late or rookie pick or mid season pick on a low talent player and they most likely fail because of lack of ability. Elijah Hollands, despite his issues, was a higher percentage option than the alternative which was probably Will White who is a similar level to Fogarty and Young.

Until I hear that the club knowing fielded a player who was substance affected. I am well and truly on the side of the club on this one in regard to listing him and playing him the other night.

 

[JustOneTime]

The club trusted the player, they believed the player was able to refrain and got that wrong. How do we not know the club has done all they can? The 24/7 monitoring was a joke, you can't do that. The player has greatly deceived and betrayed the club. The club also holds responsibility for fielding him in that state, despite the fact it may have been hard to notice. There will be more to this.

This one goes to Austin for failing to see EHs real mental state. Of course EH was presenting as 100% good to go as he wants the moolah.

I mean there has been enough evidence right? EH has let us down before. He has let GC down before.

I doubt EH plays again but Carlton will be paying him for 2026. Feel sorry for the players who busted a gut trying to get a spot on the list. I feel sorry for the fans that just watched us lose a game because we were a player down.

 

[bluerooster]

Not sure if this is the correct thread but anyway.....I'd like to know if Holland's has played before saying he'd had a few, hence no-one took notice of him until actions became louder than words.

He could have got a kick and wasn't noticed previously, other players could have thought he was just sh#t talking again on the night...just a left field thought.

 

[Monty1978]

It depends on the previous history of what what the coaches and other players have seen from him in the past. Mental health problems are hard to understand, very confronting, and sometimes it can look like a predictable pattern is repeating itself and make people see he is having an episode but will probably snap out of it quickly and suddenly, same way as previously.

I know nothing about what really happened. Just guessing from experience. Maybe he got snapped out of previous episodes by just being sent out to play and they thought it would happen again if they sent him out again? Both for the start of the game and at times during the game off the bench.

I had an ex partner who had a few episodes. Saw her go loopy and then have a sleep and instantly snap out of it and back to being nice and fairly normal again. Thought I could predict it eventually until one time when she got stuck in the loop for days and ended up going out of the house when I eventually fell asleep after being kept awake for days and she couldn't wake me up. So she went driving erratic on wrong side of the road and got stopped by police and handcuffed and put in ambulance to this god awful lock up mental health ward and I got woken by the police banging on the door and yelling at me.

How could I do this just letting her find her own way out of the episodes and just make sure she stays in the house until she sleeps as the main antidote strategy? What sort of terrible person am I? Why didn't I call the ambulance and get her handcuffed and locked up many times over at the first sign of an episode?

It was because the correct action was going to be absolutely hell for her getting locked up like that and several other times she had snapped out of it with no harm done so probably that would happen again if I could outlast the episode and keep her safe inside until she eventually slept it off. It was more scary getting her locked up and handcuffed and forcibly drugged than it was to just endure for a few hours or a day or so and convince her to stay inside and eventually get some sleep and snap out of it.

Maybe this footy player was snapping out of previous episodes when he got sent into a big game and big crowd? Maybe that seemed more in his best interest and better way of looking after him compared to the alternative? Yes the right thing to do is get professional help but it can be the final step off the top of the tall building as far as his life goes. Once he is officially into serious mental health ward situation that is probably the end of the life he has got now and the start of a much less pleasant life for eternity.

It's a big step to say yes this person is beyond snapping out of this now and needs the proper help and to be put through hell in order to be cured better but probably never cured fully. And to officially end this fantastic life phase of fame and fortune that he could maybe keep having if he just snapped out of it again like with previous episodes.

He didn't seem in control of himself when he was in la la land. Getting intervention while the victim is in that state is a very big step and much more unpleasant than just going to a psychologist or counselling after snapping back out of it. If you care about the person sometimes the wrong action can seem like the better action to protect the person from losing the life they have got now, and forcing them into very awful mental health treatment process which is really needed but horrible to be put through.

Plus the true proper correct action if he didn't want the medical help and tended to be irrational fearful of previous suggestions to get help, was probably to get the ambulance out onto the MCG in front of 80k people and handcuff him and forcibly drug him and get him locked up in the mental health ward. It's not always as simple and easy as outside people would think to just get proper help for someone who is seriously off with the fairies like this.

Definitely at that moment while they are actually off with the fairies they usually don't want help and will very likely resist help and make a big scene if it gets forced on them. It would take a lot of composure and mental strength to force someone close to you to be put through this type of treatment especially if it's public in front of so many people.

And be knowing you are probably responsible for ending what might be a fantastic phase of his life permanently by doing so.
I know I wasn't strong enough for this and that was without the 80k people watching. I can't say the club people were awful or weak without knowing the whole story that nobody will ever know apart from them. Because the real personal details have to be kept private. Club people might have been negligent, or might have cared too much about him, or might have been scared and confused and a bit irrational.

Who knows? Mental health episodes are awful for everyone connected with it when people go off with the fairies like this.

Great post mate

 

[gbatman]

This one goes to Austin for failing to see EHs real mental state. Of course EH was presenting as 100% good to go as he wants the moolah.

I mean there has been enough evidence right? EH has let us down before. He has let GC down before.

I doubt EH plays again but Carlton will be paying him for 2026. Feel sorry for the players who busted a gut trying to get a spot on the list. I feel sorry for the fans that just watched us lose a game because we were a player down.

All good points, but there have been similar situations where players with problems have gone the other way and ended up good players in premiership sides.

The alternative is that we take a low level player, probably White, and delist him at the end of the season for simply not being quite good enough and us chasing list spots. End of the day E Hollands had a greater chance of being with us than who we picked alternatively in 2027 and beyond.

You need to take risks as being conservative does not win premierships.

End of the day this is one player who has cost us very low draft capital.

You can't blame the club if the player's performance and behavior was immaculate. Good clubs take these risks and end of the day this is just one player. If this was a player who cost us heavy draft capital then sure, this would hurt, but this is not the case.

 

[North Side]

I got to be honest, I’ve watched all the clips of Elijah today and I still don’t see how everyone can surmise definitively that there is some disastrous lack of player care.
Yeah he seems erratic at times, but I feel like the pressure of not getting your hands on the footy when you’re already in a fragile state completely validates any of his body language and unusual movement. There was footage of coaches chatting with him multiple times.
I mean yes the club may have made a mistake but it’s not the end of the world.

 

[Countryblueswitnotattoos]

It depends on the previous history of what what the coaches and other players have seen from him in the past. Mental health problems are hard to understand, very confronting, and sometimes it can look like a predictable pattern is repeating itself and make people see he is having an episode but will probably snap out of it quickly and suddenly, same way as previously.

I know nothing about what really happened. Just guessing from experience. Maybe he got snapped out of previous episodes by just being sent out to play and they thought it would happen again if they sent him out again? Both for the start of the game and at times during the game off the bench.

I had an ex partner who had a few episodes. Saw her go loopy and then have a sleep and instantly snap out of it and back to being nice and fairly normal again. Thought I could predict it eventually until one time when she got stuck in the loop for days and ended up going out of the house when I eventually fell asleep after being kept awake for days and she couldn't wake me up. So she went driving erratic on wrong side of the road and got stopped by police and handcuffed and put in ambulance to this god awful lock up mental health ward and I got woken by the police banging on the door and yelling at me.

How could I do this just letting her find her own way out of the episodes and just make sure she stays in the house until she sleeps as the main antidote strategy? What sort of terrible person am I? Why didn't I call the ambulance and get her handcuffed and locked up many times over at the first sign of an episode?

It was because the correct action was going to be absolutely hell for her getting locked up like that and several other times she had snapped out of it with no harm done so probably that would happen again if I could outlast the episode and keep her safe inside until she eventually slept it off. It was more scary getting her locked up and handcuffed and forcibly drugged than it was to just endure for a few hours or a day or so and convince her to stay inside and eventually get some sleep and snap out of it.

Maybe this footy player was snapping out of previous episodes when he got sent into a big game and big crowd? Maybe that seemed more in his best interest and better way of looking after him compared to the alternative? Yes the right thing to do is get professional help but it can be the final step off the top of the tall building as far as his life goes. Once he is officially into serious mental health ward situation that is probably the end of the life he has got now and the start of a much less pleasant life for eternity.

It's a big step to say yes this person is beyond snapping out of this now and needs the proper help and to be put through hell in order to be cured better but probably never cured fully. And to officially end this fantastic life phase of fame and fortune that he could maybe keep having if he just snapped out of it again like with previous episodes.

He didn't seem in control of himself when he was in la la land. Getting intervention while the victim is in that state is a very big step and much more unpleasant than just going to a psychologist or counselling after snapping back out of it. If you care about the person sometimes the wrong action can seem like the better action to protect the person from losing the life they have got now, and forcing them into very awful mental health treatment process which is really needed but horrible to be put through.

Plus the true proper correct action if he didn't want the medical help and tended to be irrational fearful of previous suggestions to get help, was probably to get the ambulance out onto the MCG in front of 80k people and handcuff him and forcibly drug him and get him locked up in the mental health ward. It's not always as simple and easy as outside people would think to just get proper help for someone who is seriously off with the fairies like this.

Definitely at that moment while they are actually off with the fairies they usually don't want help and will very likely resist help and make a big scene if it gets forced on them. It would take a lot of composure and mental strength to force someone close to you to be put through this type of treatment especially if it's public in front of so many people.

And be knowing you are probably responsible for ending what might be a fantastic phase of his life permanently by doing so.
I know I wasn't strong enough for this and that was without the 80k people watching. I can't say the club people were awful or weak without knowing the whole story that nobody will ever know apart from them. Because the real personal details have to be kept private. Club people might have been negligent, or might have cared too much about him, or might have been scared and confused and a bit irrational.

Who knows? Mental health episodes are awful for everyone connected with it when people go off with the fairies like this.

Great post. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[North Side]

I got to be honest, I’ve watched all the clips of Elijah today and I still don’t see how everyone can surmise definitively that there is some disastrous lack of player care.
Yeah he seems erratic at times, but I feel like the pressure of not getting your hands on the footy when you’re already in a fragile state completely validates any of his body language and unusual movement. There was footage of coaches chatting with him multiple times.
I mean yes the club may have made a mistake but it’s not the end of the world.

Like the mayonnaise footy media personalities are putting on this is putrid.

 

[thechamps2025]

Just gone from Dure to nuclear Elijah in hospital now it could not get any worse for the Carlton football club

 

[myblueroan]

Meanwhile, Lij is reported as now being in hospital.

 

[Thrawn]

I hope he's ok.

 

[HBF]

This should be the final nail in the Voss coffin. Bloke is a liability of the highest order.

 

[Gointocarlton]

Sorry, the Collingwood players and some admin, media are saying they saw plenty. Of course, they are all just laying the boots in, especially the opposition team on the night. Although the AFL aren’t helping or the media in that case.

And yet the Coll players said/did nothing because according to Maynard, it wasnt their responsibility. Congratulations you f-head, you win human of the year. Filth. I reckon if you watch the footage of him saying it, the light bulb went off in his head and realised what a f-**** he is but still blurted it out.

 

[myblueroan]

I hope he's ok.

I'm thinking it's a good safe place for him atm Thrawn. Plenty of care. Hopefully not watching the vultures on afl tv shows.

 

[Thrawn]

AFL media these days is at an all time low

The Collingwood lip reading is just plain stupid can't believe people buy into this stuff

That video was made by a literal embodiment of a soyjak meme.

 

[jungojungojungo]

Just gone from Dure to nuclear Elijah in hospital now it could not get any worse for the Carlton football club

Worse for the bloke in hospital. Hope it's only precautionary and not as a result of his situation and the magnifying glass that's been put over his head.

 

[thechamps2025]

Worse for the bloke in hospital. Hope it's only precautionary and not as a result of his situation and the magnifying glass that's been put over his head.

Yeah it's an unknown mental health anxiety and then the whole world looking at you has probably effected him beyond anything we could understand. Just hope he heals fast and then gets the opportunity to speak out when ready to make people accountable for the lack of duty and care

 

[thechamps2025]

I'm thinking it's a good safe place for him atm Thrawn. Plenty of care. Hopefully not watching the vultures on afl tv shows.

Best place to be but it's a worry.just hope he has got some strong and steady people beside him good meds and some ability to escape football

 

[TENACIOUS]

Hope Elijah is ok.

The gross negligence from our coaching, leaders and medical staff and the AFL medical staff, is disgusting..

Heads should roll.

 

[myblueroan]

Best place to be but it's a worry.just hope he has got some strong and steady people beside him good meds and some ability to escape football

His folks seem like good people.

 

[TheBlueCampaigner]

This is all incredibly sad.

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

Which is unbelievable in itself given it was reported that he was being monitored by the medico's during the week leading up to the game.

So WTF was monitoring his condition pre-game and during the game? AND who actually signed off that he was fit to play in the first place given there were warning signs leading in? And why wasn't it until the 9 minute mark of the final quarter before the giant hook finally appeared?

I honestly want to see Chris Davies' shining head adorning the TV screens this week giving some answers...this bloke needs to start earning his pay, cos right now I have little faith in him running a football department. 6 weeks into the season and it's a ****ing shambles.

With more knowledge, along with the new current footage of interactions between Elijah and club coaching staff and players, it seems like a far more incomprehensible situation which could have been avoided…

 

[Beyond Blue]

on a bright note new guys Ollie Florent, Ainsworth and Hayward all made good contributions

All three are showing that they are really good additions IMO. I know Hayward had a couple stinkers against North and Melbourne but he really played well against the Pies, like he wanted to make amends for his poor performance against North. Just another case of players coming from other clubs who so much more professional and consistent than “home grown” Carlton players brought up only in our “very poor” system.

 

[JustOneTime]

All good points, but there have been similar situations where players with problems have gone the other way and ended up good players in premiership sides.

The alternative is that we take a low level player, probably White, and delist him at the end of the season for simply not being quite good enough and us chasing list spots. End of the day E Hollands had a greater chance of being with us than who we picked alternatively in 2027 and beyond.

You need to take risks as being conservative does not win premierships.

End of the day this is one player who has cost us very low draft capital.

You can't blame the club if the player's performance and behavior was immaculate. Good clubs take these risks and end of the day this is just one player. If this was a player who cost us heavy draft capital then sure, this would hurt, but this is not the case.

The difference is Carlton have not been a successful club in any regard (leadership/development) so maybe a club like Geelong could take on the risk. But Carlton? Seriously.

The better or worse player argument is Carlton's issue. You take the committed player as it rubs off on others the right way. Not the flake who you can never rely on.

Give you an example of how things rub off on others. McGovern, Young and Kemp were all not right for defence and got the touch of fumbles (don't have that stubborn mental profile required). It rubbed off on each other then spread to others who don't normally fumble. Saad. He didn't fumble ever until finally it entered his head after seeing repeated fumbles in front of him from young and kemp.

Buckley made the comment about a talented player like Charlie C (who never chases) vs a hard working two way runner which the modern game requires. Said he'd prefer the two way player when taking everything into account. Opposition overlaps quite often started with charlie C's opponent.

Building a list with the right traits is everything. It's why Young and E Hollands should def not be on our list (for different reasons).

The club across the board are simply missing/failing on finer details that a club like Geelong/Hawks don't miss.