Elijah Hollands of Carlton banned for drug possession.
Elijah Hollands, Carlton’s recruit has received a two-game AFL ban after admitting to cocaine possession. The AFL found him guilty of misconduct after he appeared in Southport Magistrates Court last month on a drug possession charge. The 21-year-old was still a Gold Coast-listed player when he was found in possession of less than a gram of cocaine at The Star casino. Hollands moved to the Blues during the trade period after three seasons with the Suns, with Carlton giving up a future third-round pick and pick No.26 to the Gold Coast in his acquisition. The news of his drug possession charge became public just a day after Hollands was traded to Carlton, but the Blues maintain they were aware of the court case when they recruited the former No.7 draft pick. He will miss Carlton’s first two games of the 2024 season against the Brisbane Lions and Richmond, and will not be eligible to play in practice matches or in the VFL. Hollands has completed a drug diversion course since appearing in court. Meanwhile, Joel Smith of Melbourne remains provisionally suspended by the AFL after testing positive for cocaine, which was found in his system through an in-competition doping test.