Comedian and lifelong Carlton supporter Dave Hughes has criticised the club’s handling of Elijah Hollands following the midfielder’s performance in Thursday night’s loss to Collingwood Magpies.
Hollands recorded just one disposal during the five-point defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with his on-field behaviour drawing widespread attention from fans, media and commentators.
Speaking on social media after the match, Hughes described what he saw after arriving late to the game.
‘I got to the ground at quarter time because of my comedy show Cooked,’ Hughes said.
‘When I got there my mate said we have a player on the ground who is cooked right now.
‘I said don’t be ridiculous, this is an AFL game with 80,000 people watching, there is no one out there cooked, and then I started watching.
‘So. F***ing. Cooked.’
Hughes questioned why Hollands remained on the field throughout the match.
‘There is a bench, he can sit on that all night. Say he has got a hamstring,’ he said.
‘Why leave a player on the ground who everyone can see isn’t right?’
‘He didn’t touch the f**king ball, we lost by 5 points’.
‘What the f***, what the f***, what the f*** are you doing?’
Carlton later confirmed Hollands’ performance was linked to a mental health episode and not substance-related, following an internal review conducted in consultation with the AFL and medical experts.