Carlton has vowed to stand by new recruit Elijah Hollands, despite a pending court appearance on a drugs charge.
Hollands has been served a notice to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on October 31, facing one count of possession of an illicit substance.
The 21-year-old was traded to the Blues from the Gold Coast Suns on the final day of the trade period on Wednesday evening. Both clubs, the AFL, and the AFLPA all released separate but similar statements on Thursday afternoon.
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The Blues said Hollands first notified them of the pending charge last month when trade negotiations began.
“An informed decision was then made to proceed with the recruitment and the club will now provide the necessary support to Hollands,” the statement read.
“He will commence pre-season training upon its scheduled resumption in November.”
The Suns said the AFL Integrity Unit had also been informed.
“All players receive extensive education on the AFL’s Illicit Drugs Policy and are fully aware of the behaviours and standards expected of them as AFL players,” the Suns’ statement read.
Hollands is the second AFL player to be involved in an illicit substance scandal in a matter of hours.
Earlier on Thursday, the AFL handed Demons’ utility Joel Smith a mandatory provisional suspension after he tested positive to cocaine after Melbourne’s round 23 clash against the Hawks.
“It is asserted that a sample provided by Smith during an In-Competition doping control test on 20 August 2023 returned an AAF for the presence of Cocaine and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine being a Prohibited Substance under the Code,” the AFL said.
The Demons and the AFLPA have both pledged support to Smith.
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