The Agenda Setters on Channel 7 Caroline Wilson on the latest in the Elijah Hollands saga – on Seven and 7plus.
Wilson: “Well, the most interesting thing about the Graham Wright statement is the second paragraph, where it says we stand in unwavering support of our medical and wellbeing staff, and continue to conduct themselves with the highest level of professionalism and integrity. Now, Carlton was standing by their doctors. It was reported on this show early last week by Tom Morris, in fact, Matt Chamberlain, the head Carlton doctor had gone on leave. I can tell you that Matt Chamberlain returned to work, as we know, for last weekend’s game, but I’m not sure whether Matt Chamberlain is certain that he’s going to continue being an AFL doctor.”
Cornes: “His choice?”
Wilson: “Oh, absolutely. He is just considering, as a lot of doctors in the AFL industry are considering whether it’s worth it, he’s been very disappointed, personally, by what’s been said. Suggestions that there was mishandling of the situation, which there clearly was. I think the AFL was very careful not to single out anyone. I think the players are comfortable, the players’ association that no one was singled out. They’re happy that it was a speedy review, but there are a couple of interesting points in all of this.
There’s not a full stop on this, and there are still some pretty bruised and unhappy people at Carlton. They’ve caught their fine, they called it a donation in one of the statements the club put out today.”
Thomas: “When you say bruised and unhappy, are they not satisfied with these findings?”
Wilson: “I think there are people at Carlton questioning, whether they did the right thing, unhappy that their integrity has been questioned and wishing that they maybe acted sooner or differently. I think it’s a combination of all three. And, look, there was a question, and we reported, I reported early on, about the suggestion the player had been drinking, and the Collingwood players felt that he had been during the game.
So, we know Elijah has been interviewed by the AFL. We know he’s looking after his own health and wellbeing at the moment, and obviously, he’s primary in all of this. But we are covering a very big story about a football game and a football club that is found to have brought the game into disrepute with their mishandling a bit. And I just think, early on, it was being reported, no drugs, no alcohol, Carlton or adamant. Now, I don’t know how they can say that, and I think it’s been noted by pretty much everyone who has been involved in this investigation. The suggestion of alcohol cannot, at the very least, be refused.”
Thomas: “Will we ever know? Will that ever come to light?”
Wilson: “Look, I don’t think it really matters. It just goes to the handling of the situation, that if Collingwood players felt this was the case, and if it was the case, and no one said it wasn’t the case, and they’re still not denying it.”
Thomas: “If we’re not going to find out and it doesn’t matter, why do we keep harping on about it?”
Wilson: “Because it goes to the mishandling of the situation, and why the club needed to be fined, and why it was so very poorly handled, and why there was a miscommunication, and everyone should have got together, at the very latest halftime, and they didn’t. Now, that hopefully will change as a result of these findings.”
Hodge: “Caro, with that, look, clearly, he shouldn’t have went back on. Shouldn’t have been able to go on the field to start with, shouldn’t have went back on. The fine, $75,000 doesn’t seem a lot. Is that a big enough fine for what actually occurred? And does that go onto the soft cap?”
Wilson: “I don’t think it does come out of the soft cap if it’s been described as a contribution to headspace. I actually can’t tell you about that, but I don’t think so. Port Adelaide, as a result of their doctor, who admitted he’d made a mistake in allowing Aliir Aliir a few years ago to go back onto the ground when he shouldn’t do it, because he was concussed, were fined $100,000, although $50,000 of that was suspended. I know that a lot of clubs were looking very closely at the fine today. It certainly is light, but, Luke, given that there is a work safe investigation going on as well, and that will take a long time. They take a long-term government agencies, and the fact that they’ve never dealt with a mental health episode on the ground before. I think that sort of takes away. I think the most interesting thing is that no individual has been cited in this.”
Cornes: “Is that satisfactory for you? Were you expecting a different finding with an individual, or multiple individuals who were named and said to be majorly responsible for these?”
Wilson: “I thought there would be a big fine, I’m not surprised that Michael Voss or Chris Davies wasn’t mentioned, even though both those men would probably admit now that they, I would imagine, made the wrong decision, or should have been stronger. But with the doctors, I think the AFL, the doctors have gotten lawyers. I think they’ve gone out of their way to protect the doctors in this. And that is, that is not what happened, in the case of Aliir Aliir, but it has, in this case, and I don’t think the Port Adelaide had strong legal help, but I think, in this case, the doctors have, and the fact that Matt Chamberlain is considering whether he’s going go on in the job, is an intriguing side one to this.”
The Agenda Setters – 7.30pm every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night on 7mate and 7plus Sport.
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The Agenda Setters on Channel 7 Caroline Wilson on the latest in the Elijah Hollands saga
