Carlton coach Michael Voss has opened up about the decision to withdraw Ollie Hollands from Saturday night’s 14-point loss to Fremantle, insisting it was the right call after a challenging week for the club and the Hollands family.
The Blues entered the match under intense scrutiny following Elijah Hollands’ mental health episode during the five-point loss to Collingwood a week earlier. Carlton has submitted a report to the AFL about the incident, and Victorian workplace safety watchdog WorkSafe has also launched inquiries.
It remains uncertain whether the Blues will face penalties for allowing Elijah to play and remain on the field for a significant portion of the match despite displaying unusual behaviour before and during the game.
Ollie Hollands flew to Perth and was initially slated to play against Fremantle, but was withdrawn just hours before the match, despite his desire to take the field. Voss explained his reasoning after the 16.7 (103) to 13.11 (89) defeat, which left Carlton with a 1-6 record.
“It’s been a big week for everyone, and a big week for the family,” Voss said. “He wanted to play. He’s an absolute competitor, and we just sort of felt like with how the week’s played out, it’d be better to maybe sit this one out. He’s in a good space. But we sort of obviously felt like it was probably the better way to go.”
Voss expects Ollie to return for next Saturday’s clash with St Kilda, noting that the trip to Perth allowed him to be supported by the Carlton community.
Ollie has not spoken publicly about his brother’s situation but thanked everyone for their support on social media. Alongside a childhood photo of the two brothers, he wrote: “There are no words to describe how grateful we are for all the love and support Elijah and our family have received. We want to say a huge thank you to the Carlton Football Club, Blues supporters and the greater AFL community for all of your support and love. It’s incredibly challenging watching your own brother go through something like this but the amount of support that we have received has been overwhelming and as a family we will be forever grateful. Love you Roger.”
A timeline for Elijah Hollands’ return remains unclear. Last year, Elijah twice took personal leave from Carlton, later revealing he had been battling mental ill-health and issues with alcohol.
Voss and the Blues have faced criticism following Elijah’s erratic appearance against the Magpies, but the trip to Perth provided a welcome respite. “We’ve tried to really enjoy each other’s company,” Voss said. “We’ve tried to put some humour into the back end of the week, and keep it pretty light rather than dark.”
The Blues showed resilience against Fremantle, nearly snatching the lead midway through the third quarter. After falling 41 points behind in the final term, Carlton kicked five of the last six goals to reduce the margin significantly. Voss viewed it as an important step forward.
“If we sort of just step back from this game as well, and we think about what’s transpired throughout the week, this was a really important game for us to get a response,” he said. “It’s fine to talk about what we stand for as a football club, but at the end of the day, when we walk on that grass, how we conduct ourselves is very, very important. And every time we were challenged, we responded.”
Key forward Harry McKay (concussion) is expected to return against St Kilda, while ruckman Marc Pittonet (hand) faces a race against time to prove his fitness.
