The fallout from the Elijah Hollands scandal continues to reverberate, with some Carlton staffers still feeling 'bruised and unhappy' and the club doctor weighing his future in the game.
AFL Fines Carlton $75,000
The AFL has fined Carlton $75,000 for its mishandling of the player, while also announcing plans to implement changes around mental health care in the sport, including mandating full-time psychologists at all clubs. However, there are questions about how this model will function, with the AFL admitting it does not yet know how the psychologists will be deployed or whether they will be present during matches.
Skepticism Over Psychologist Plan
Veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson expressed skepticism over the psychologist announcement, calling it a 'quick fix headline' grabber. 'I'm not criticising Laura Kane (the AFL's manager of health and football operations), but the AFL mandated an Indigenous welfare person at every club three days a week, and we know that's not happening,' Wilson said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters. 'I think that looks to me like a quick fix headline, and I'm again, not saying that's Laura Kane's fault, but I don't think that necessarily is going to make any difference at all. The best psychologist at a footy club might only be available to work for the club on a match day or two days a week or three days a week. Why on earth do you need to mandate a full-time psychologist? It just doesn't make sense.'
AFL expert Kane Cornes also questioned the plan, noting that if the league is struggling to retain doctors, finding 18 psychologists 'who are up to their eyeballs in work outside of sport' will be equally challenging.
Unanswered Questions
Wilson said the fine was 'sort of irrelevant to a degree,' but Carlton personnel know 'they have done the wrong thing.' 'They've been shamed to a degree today, and hopefully it never happens again. And hopefully Elijah Holland is back living a happy life soon,' she added. However, questions remain unanswered. AFL chief Andrew Dillon dodged questions about whether Hollands had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the incident.
'There are still some pretty bruised and unhappy people at Carlton,' Wilson said. 'I think there are people at Carlton questioning whether they did the right thing, unhappy that their integrity has been questioned, and wishing that they'd maybe acted sooner or differently. I think it's a combination of all three. And look, there was a question, and I reported earlier about the suggestion of the player having been drinking, and the Collingwood players felt that he had been during the game.'
When pressed, Dillon spoke about 'visual cues' but added that 'other information, (we) can't do that at the moment.' Hollands has been interviewed by the AFL and is currently focusing on his health and wellbeing.
Club Doctor's Future Uncertain
Wilson said Carlton is standing by its doctors and head doctor, Matt Chamberlain, who took personal leave after the scandal broke. Chamberlain returned to work for the weekend's game against St Kilda. 'But I'm not sure whether Matt Chamberlain is certain that he's going to continue being an AFL doctor,' Wilson said. 'He is just considering, as a lot of doctors in the AFL industry are, considering whether it's worth it. He's been very disappointed, personally, by what's been said ... (and the) suggestions that there was mishandling of the situation.'
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