Hollands went viral for some uncharacteristic and at times erratic on-field during Carlton's 83-88 loss to Collingwood in Round 6.
Despite spending nearly 90% of the first three quarters of the match on the field, Hollands registered only one possession - an ineffective kick whilst being tackled - and videos were widely posted on social media of some unusual activity during the match.
Carlton described it as a "mental health episode" following the game and promised a full and comprehensive review of its mental health workplace policies, with head coach Michael Voss and his staff coming under heavy fire for allowing Hollands to play the majoriy of the match despite being unfit to do so.
The 24-year-old was hospitalised the following week and has since been on personal leave.
A league review into the incident as well as the outcomes of Carlton's internal inquiry found "there were sufficient visual cues, performance data during the match, and knowledge of the player’s individual circumstances to indicate that Elijah should have been removed from play earlier than the 20-minute mark of the final quarter".
The AFL made no adverse findings against any particular individual at Carlton FC.
“What transpired that night was something our game hasn’t seen before,” AFL chief Dillon said.
“While Elijah underwent checks, he should not have been left on the field for that period of time.
“We want to acknowledge Elijah and his family - our focus continues to be on Elijah’s wellbeing and ensuring he continues to receive the best possible care and support.
“This incident has highlighted that, while our physical injury protocols are well understood, mental health presentations are variable and complex, and therefore we will work to strengthen and standardise our approach to match day management of acute mental health episodes.
“This is bigger than one club and bigger than one night. If there is a lesson in this, it is that our duty of care continues to evolve - and that must include mental health.”
The $75,000 fine handed down to Carlton will be donated to the AFL's mental health partner, headspace.
The AFL has also committed to working with all 18 clubs to strengthen their mental health support procedures, including the potential raising of the soft cap to encourage further investment into mental health resources and the mandating of a full-time psychologist for all AFL and AFLW clubs to ensure each player has a club contact to work with independent of the league.
