The midfielder has landed at IKON Park on the final day of the 2023 Continental Tyres Trade Period.
Carlton today completed a trade with Gold Coast that will see Hollands join the Club in exchange for a future third-round selection (tied to Essendon). In addition, the Blues will also receive the Suns’ future fourth-round selection, meaning it now holds three picks in the fourth round of the 2024 national draft.
As part of the deal, the Blues will also shift two spots back in the second round of this year’s draft,
receiving the Suns’ pick No.28 in exchange for pick No.26, which was acquired from North Melbourne last week.
Originally from Wodonga, Hollands was selected with pick No.7 three years ago in the 2020 AFL Draft.
The 21-year-old arrives after a standout performance in the VFL Grand Final, finishing with a brilliant 33 disposals, 10 tackles and eight clearances in a premiership win.
He joins his brother Ollie at the Blues, a first-round pick in his own right, who made a big impact in his debut season in the Navy Blue this year.
Playing 14 games for Gold Coast, Hollands’ career-best AFL performance came against Hawthorn in 2022 with 23 disposals, nine marks and two goals, earning him a Rising Star nomination in Round 21. Coincidentally, his brother was nominated in the same round this year.
“We are looking to build versatility across our playing list and Elijah fits that mould for us, as an elite runner who can play through the midfield as well as half-forward,” Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin said.
“His game is based around contest and pressure, two things we really pride ourselves on at the Club. We look forward to seeing Elijah get to work over the summer and compete for his place in the senior side.”
Carlton has a storied history of brothers playing alongside each other, joining the likes of John and Don Nicholls (1957-1961), Stephen and David Kernahan (1988-1993) and most recently Ed and Charlie Curnow (2016-2023), who became the first brothers to play 100 games each for the Blues.
The Hollands brothers also have ties to the Navy Blue with their great-grandfather Martin Cross playing 36 games for Carlton in the early 1960s.
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