Elijah Hollands has accepted that his AFL career is over at just 24 years old, revealing he will prioritise his health after Carlton officially removed him from its playing list.
The former No.7 draft pick played 47 AFL matches across six seasons with Gold Coast and Carlton but had not appeared since suffering a mental health episode during the Blues’ Round 6 loss to Collingwood in April.
Hollands was hospitalised days after the match and subsequently stepped away from football while receiving treatment.
Carlton confirmed he was among seven players delisted following the club’s elimination-final defeat to Geelong, alongside Zac Williams, Lewis Young, Lachie Fogarty, Jordan Boyd, Flynn Young and Harry Charleson.
The Blues said Hollands will step away from AFL football during 2027.
His deeply personal farewell message suggests the decision represents considerably more than an ordinary list change.
“I love this game, but I have come to realise that there are things in my life that are far more important than footy right now,” Hollands wrote in a statement shared through Instagram.
Football Was Hollands’ Entire Identity
Hollands grew up within a family deeply connected to Australian football.
His father, Ben, played eight AFL matches for Richmond, while his great-grandfather Martin Cross represented Carlton during the 1960s.
His younger brother Ollie remains an important member of the Blues’ senior team.
Elijah described football as everything he had “lived and breathed for” throughout his life.
He entered the AFL with enormous expectations after Gold Coast selected him with the seventh pick in the 2020 national draft.
A serious knee injury suffered during his draft year delayed the beginning of his professional career, but Hollands eventually made his senior debut for the Suns in 2022.
He played 14 games across two seasons before moving to Carlton at the end of 2023, joining Ollie at the club their great-grandfather had represented.
Hollands played 33 matches for the Blues and became a regular member of their senior side before his career was abruptly interrupted.
Sharing the field with his brother became one of the defining experiences of his career.
Hollands reflected upon the privilege of playing before approximately 90,000 spectators at the MCG alongside Ollie, describing it as something he would always cherish.
For a player who had spent his childhood attempting to follow his family into professional football, accepting the end of that journey has required him to reconsider his sense of purpose.
“And now, unfortunately, that purpose I had is no longer,” Hollands wrote, according to AFL.com.au.
Round 6 Incident Changed Everything
Hollands’ final AFL appearance came against Collingwood at the MCG on April 16.
Carlton later described what occurred during the match as a mental health episode.
Despite displaying concerning visual signs and recording only one kick, Hollands remained on the field until the 20-minute mark of the final quarter.
The AFL subsequently determined that Carlton should have removed him considerably earlier.
The league found there were sufficient visual cues, performance information and knowledge of Hollands’ circumstances to indicate that intervention was required.
Carlton received a $75,000 sanction, with the money directed to youth mental health organisation Headspace.
The club accepted the outcome without disclosing private medical information and continued to defend the professionalism and intentions of its medical and wellbeing staff.
“Our support for Elijah comes from a place of genuine care and understanding of him and the challenges he has been experiencing,” Carlton chief executive Graham Wright said in the club’s official statement.
“Elijah is taking the necessary time to prioritise his health and wellbeing right now and he will continue to do so with our full support.”
A WorkSafe inquiry into Carlton’s handling of the incident was also ongoing when the club released that statement.
Hollands did not return to training or senior football during the remainder of the season.
Carlton’s Decision Was Reached Collaboratively
Carlton’s decision not to retain Hollands was not presented as an ordinary football judgement based solely upon form.
Reports indicated the outcome followed discussions involving Hollands, the Blues, his management and the AFL Players’ Association.
His health and future remained the priority throughout those conversations.
Hollands may be physically capable of returning to football at some point, but there is no indication that he intends to seek an opportunity with another AFL club for 2027.
His farewell statement instead focused upon moving into a new stage of life with his mental and physical health in a stronger position.
That distinction is important.
Hollands was officially delisted, but the decision should not be treated as Carlton ruthlessly ending the career of a healthy player desperate to continue.
His own words demonstrate an acceptance that football cannot remain his immediate priority.
“As an extremely confident 18-year-old, I certainly envisioned my career going a whole lot differently,” he wrote.
The disappointment is unmistakable.
So is the understanding that continuing to chase an AFL career would not be worth compromising his recovery.
AFL Introduced New Mental Health Measures
The incident prompted the AFL to announce changes to its mental health and wellbeing requirements.
Clubs were told they would need to employ full-time psychologists across their AFL and AFLW programs, while mandatory mental health education would be expanded.
The league also moved to strengthen its policies and governance structures surrounding player wellbeing.
Those reforms recognise that mental health episodes cannot always be managed through the same visible and established protocols used for physical injuries.
A player suffering a concussion, hamstring injury or broken bone can generally be assessed against recognised clinical signs.
Mental health presentations may be far more complex, private and difficult to immediately interpret.
That complexity did not remove Carlton’s duty to act.
The AFL’s sanction established that clubs must respond when available information indicates a player may be unfit to remain on the field—even when the problem is not a conventional physical injury.
Hollands’ experience may consequently change how clubs monitor and protect players long after his own career has ended.
Hollands Thanked the AFL Community
Public discussion surrounding Hollands became intense after the Collingwood match.
The circumstances were examined through television footage, performance data and commentary despite much of the relevant medical information remaining private.
Hollands nevertheless said the broader support he received outweighed the damaging elements of that scrutiny.
He thanked the AFL community, Carlton, his family and the people who supported him throughout his career.
He also expressed hope that athletes and the people around them would continue receiving compassion when experiencing private challenges in public environments.
That message carries particular importance within elite sport.
Players are regularly discussed as assets, selections and salary-cap commitments. Their performances are analysed immediately, while poor matches can attract criticism before anyone understands what may be occurring away from the field.
Hollands’ final appearance provided an extreme example of why visible performance cannot always be separated from personal wellbeing.
His Career Should Be Remembered for More Than Its Ending
The Round 6 incident and Carlton’s subsequent sanction will remain an important part of Hollands’ story.
They should not become the entirety of it.
Hollands recovered from a major knee injury before being selected inside the top 10 of the national draft.
He played 47 matches at the highest level, represented two clubs and fulfilled the childhood ambition of playing AFL football alongside his brother.
Thousands of talented footballers never reach one senior match.
Hollands achieved something extraordinary, even if his career ended years earlier than he once imagined.
The most important outcome is no longer whether he returns to football.
It is whether stepping away gives him the space and support required to build a healthy and fulfilling life outside the game.
Hollands expected football to provide his purpose indefinitely.
At 24, he has been forced to find something beyond it.
That is a devastating transition, but his farewell makes clear he is approaching the next chapter with acceptance, gratitude and hope.
