New Carlton signing Elijah Hollands is set to appear in court on drug-related charges – in the second drugs scandal to rock the AFL in 24 hours.
Hollands, 21, joined the Gold Coast Blues on Wednesday, deadline day.
The club was already aware of his upcoming court appearance for alleged possession of an illicit substance and he will begin training at Carlton with the rest of the squad in November.
Carlton new signing Elijah Hollands set to appear in court on drug charges
“The club was informed last month by Hollands, who was a Gold Coast Suns player at the time, given their current interest in bringing him to the football club,” Carlton said in a statement.
“An informed decision was then made to proceed with recruitment and the club will now provide the necessary support to Hollands.
“He will begin pre-season training as soon as he resumes in November.
“As the matter is currently before the courts, the club will make no further comment at this time.”
Gold Coast also released a statement saying the charge related to a “small quantity of an illicit substance”.
“All players receive extensive training on the AFL’s illicit drug policy and are fully aware of the behaviors and standards expected of them as AFL players,” the club said.
“The AFL Integrity Unit has been informed and is conducting its own investigation.”
It comes on the same day Melbourne Demons star Joel Smith was provisionally suspended by the AFL after testing positive for cocaine.
Melbourne Demons star Joel Smith has been provisionally suspended by the AFL after testing positive for a banned substance, believed to be cocaine.
The league confirmed it was “working with” Smith on the matter, with the ban taking effect immediately.
The AFL said a urine sample taken from Smith after the Round 23 match against Hawthorn at the MCG tested positive for cocaine.
Smith, 27 – who played in both of Melbourne’s losing finals – is aware of the result after being informed by Sports Integrity Australia.
The maximum sanction for an in-competition test is a four-year ban.
But if Smith can prove the violation was unintentional, he’ll only be out for a month.
Smith, 27, was tested on August 20 after the Demons beat Hawthorn at the MCG
Smith kicked three goals in Melbourne’s semi-final loss to Carlton and became a father for the first time in September.
“It is claimed that a sample provided by Smith during an in-competition doping test on August 20, 2023 returned an AAF for the presence of cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine, being a prohibited substance under the code,” the AFL said in a statement.
‘Smith was tested following the Melbourne v Hawthorn Round 23 match on Sunday 20 August 2023 and was informed by Sport Integrity Australia last week regarding the results.
“The AFL was informed of the test results at the same time.
“The matter is now progressing in accordance with the code, initially involving further investigation by Sport Integrity Australia, supported by the AFL.
“In the meantime, Smith will not be part of the Melbourne football program.”
Smith forced his way into the Demons team in round 12 against Carlton, then featured in every match for the remainder of the season.
He kicked three goals in Melbourne’s semi-final loss to Carlton and became a father for the first time in September.
