For the sake of a young man, someone must be held to account

April 22, 2026 — 5:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

Last Thursday night, footy fans at the MCG witnessed two dramas. One was nail-bitingly thrilling. Collingwood beat Carlton 88 to 83 after Carlton’s Talor Byrne missed a shot at goal after the siren that would have tied the game. The other drama was unnerving and troubling.

Carlton’s Elijah Hollands was struggling. His behaviour on the field was erratic, indeed, he was hardly a part of the game at all. Yet, it took until deep into the final quarter before he was pulled from the field amid what has been described by the club as a “mental health episode”. As of yesterday, Hollands was in a Melbourne hospital. His father Ben on Tuesday posted on Instagram a photo of his son in football gear. “This is my beautiful boy. For anyone in the midst of healing … You are loved. You have a unique and defined purpose. You are seen whole. I know who my son is – and I will lift him up until he is restored in full. For those supporting someone who is........

© The Age