The cause of Elijah Hollands’ mental health episode is not the main issue

April 21, 2026 — 7:34pm

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The questions that the football masses are posing about Elijah Hollands, understandably, are those that might explain his state of mind on Thursday night, when he suffered a mental health episode and couldn’t contribute.

We want to know whether he was playing under the influence, as Collingwood players might have whispered during the game.

We would like to know if he had been drinking, or imbibed an illicit drug. Or if those possibilities are ruled out, whether his episode was related, in some way, to prescription medication.

We want to have an insight into what made him behave oddly, flapping his arms like Jim Carrey, in the midst of the hurly-burly of a fierce physical contest before nearly 80,000 and a million viewers.

But even if answers to those salacious questions are forthcoming, even if Carlton, the AFL or Hollands himself divulge the results of his post-game drug test, the cause of Hollands’ issues on the night is not what matters most in this strange and mystifying saga.

Further drug test details emerge as Ollie........

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