Collingwood player Brayden Maynard heard chatter about Elijah Hollands but didn’t see anything himself
Updated ,first published
Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard was aware of talk on the field on Thursday night that Carlton’s Elijah Hollands wasn’t right, but he didn’t witness anything personally alarming.
Maynard was not directly against Hollands in the game but overheard conversations between teammates who were surprised by the Carlton player’s behaviour.
Maynard’s comments came after a report Age football reporter Caroline Wilson said Hollands told a Collingwood player he had been drinking.
“I wasn’t aware of what was going on, but I think there was some conversation going on and I didn’t pay much attention to it, and if I had been paying attention I definitely would have said something,” Maynard told this imprint on Monday.
“I overheard a few things, but like I said, I was too focused on the game to realize what was actually going on. It was definitely in the area and people were chatting about it, but I was focused on playing the game and if Elijah and I had noticed something myself I would have said something, but I was too focused on the game and I can see why it was such a big issue.”
To talk of the age Real Football In a podcast published on Monday, Wilson said the failure to pull Hollands off the field amounted to “the level of mismanagement claimed by a football club in terms of an on-field incident”.
Wilson also said Hollands had told Carlton he wanted to stay on the field, but it was up to someone in the Blues hierarchy to override him.
“I have never seen this level of mismanagement alleged by a football club in terms of an incident on the pitch,” Wilson told the podcast.
“Everyone saw it, it was played out in front of our eyes. Carlton are being scrutinised, particularly the medical team, but their coaches and football bosses will also be involved in this as to how they allowed this player to play, stay down and stay on the field – the whole club will do that.” [go] Even after three quarters I keep going again.
Wilson questioned the response of Carlton players and drew a contrast with Melbourne players who called for help when Harrison Petty was hit with delayed concussion symptoms in Brisbane on Sunday.
“You saw him [Petty’s] his teammates are going around him, taking care and making sure something is going on. [On Thursday night] “In the footage I’ve seen now you almost get the sense that the Carlton players are looking away from it,” Wilson said.
Overall, Maynard said he hoped he would say something to medical or coaching staff if he witnessed a teammate behaving unusually, and he hoped some players at other clubs, including those at Carlton on Thursday night, would do similar.
“To be honest, if I had seen one of my team-mates behaving like Elijah, I would definitely have said something and told the hierarchy. But as I said, it’s Carlton looking after their player and everyone is doing their best to look after him and that’s the issue here, making sure he has support around him and making sure his mental health is looked after.”
Wilson said it was valid to question whether Hollands had been drinking because it was related to how Carlton held him down.
“I think he [Hollands] He said he wanted to continue playing, that’s my understanding; Elijah Hollands. “But why did Michael Voss let him play and why couldn’t Chris Davies, a football veteran, even though he wasn’t that close to the situation, get over all of this?”
“One [Collingwood] actor said [Hollands] He told one of the players that he had been drinking. There are Carltonians who have heard of this, too. I put this claim to people at Collingwood and Carlton and no one denied it, so I was surprised to be targeted for saying this when it was clearly part of the story.
“It all boils down to the level of incompetence that Carlton claims, if that is proven, so I think it is reportable, especially when you get a ‘no comment’ response from everyone involved and not a denial.”
Hollands played 60 percent of the match and had one disposal.
Carlton said Friday that Hollands was experiencing a “mental health episode.” This imprint reported that he was evaluated during the match and was able to work on similar periods in the past.
This imprint reported Friday that the club did not suspect substance abuse.
On Sunday, Carlton chief executive Graham Wright was asked about Wilson’s report that Hollands had told the Magpies he had consumed alcohol before the game.
“I heard about this report yesterday and I haven’t heard anything from Collingwood or the AFL, so no one has said anything to us about it,” Wright said.
“We were aware that he was struggling in the game and he had anxiety and panic attacks before and our guys were taking care of him in the game, obviously knowing he had some issues.”
Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, who is also president of the AFL Players’ Association, did not want to comment on the Hollands matter.
“Obviously there’s a process going on at the moment with Carlton and the AFL. As the players’ association we’ve been closely involved in the process over the last few days, which is a really encouraging and great sign. Our main concern is Elijah’s welfare,” he said.
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