A Supportive Approach for Ollie Hollands
Carlton coach Michael Voss has expressed confidence that Ollie Hollands will be back on the field next week. The decision to rest the young midfielder during Saturday’s match against Fremantle was made after a difficult period for the player, following his brother Elijah’s hospitalization due to a mental health episode.
Elijah, who is also a Blues teammate, was admitted to the hospital after experiencing a mental health crisis during Carlton’s clash with Collingwood on April 16. Ollie traveled with the team to Perth for the game but was not selected to play, as the club felt it was in his best interest to step back and focus on his family during this challenging time.
Voss shared his thoughts during a post-match press conference, highlighting the emotional impact of the week on the entire team and family.
“It’s been a big week for everyone, and a big week for the family,” Voss said. “He wanted to play. He’s an absolute competitor. We just felt with how the week has played out it’d be better to maybe sit this one out. He’s in a good space, but we obviously felt like it was probably the better way to go.”
Ollie Hollands is expected to return to action when the Blues face St Kilda at Marvel Stadium next Saturday night. Voss emphasized the importance of having the support of his teammates during this difficult time.
“It was important to be around his mates,” Voss said. “Football clubs are amazing like that. We can talk a lot about what’s happened, but football clubs and how we embrace our people and how we look after our people is the thing you love. We are communities, really, at the end of the day, and having that sense of belonging to someone and something [is important]. It was probably a good opportunity for us to be able to travel, to be honest, and come away as a football team with a mission.”
The Blues suffered a 14-point loss in the match, dropping their record to 1-6 this season and marking their fifth consecutive defeat. However, Voss praised the team’s resilience and ability to respond to adversity.
“We step back from this game and we think about what’s transpired throughout the week, this was a really important game for us to get a response,” the coach said. “It’s fine to talk about what we stand for as a football club, but at the end of the day, when we walk on that grass, how we conduct ourselves is very, very important. And every time we were challenged, we responded.”
Despite the loss, the team managed to win the last quarter, kicking 5.4 goals compared to Fremantle’s 5.0. Voss described this as a significant correction.
“We couldn’t get our hands on the ball from stoppages early … We responded. We had some centre-square bounce [goals] kicked against us. We responded. Last quarter, they put a few [goals] on, and we could have given up. We responded. We’re a much better version of ourselves than what we were a month ago. But clearly we’re at the point where a good team like Fremantle can flex, and we just can’t minimise that scoring damage.”
The Blues have struggled with maintaining leads in recent games, often losing second-half advantages. However, the team’s ability to respond and show improvement is a positive sign for the future.
