Wildcards locked in: Blues, Pies, Demons and Dogs learn their fate for history-making round

Carlton chief executive Graham Wright doubts Elijah Hollands will return to play for the club as the Blues set their sights on a remarkable wildcard final against Melbourne.

Wright was speaking before Carlton’s barnstorming win against ladder leader Fremantle at Marvel Stadium, a victory that sees Josh Fraser’s side hit the finals series with undeniable momentum. The Blues, who finished the home-and-away season in 10th, will now face the 7th-placed Demons in one wildcard final next week, while the Bulldogs will host Collingwood in the other.

Hollands, the 24-year-old midfielder-forward, hasn’t played at any level since round six of the AFL season, when he experienced a mental health episode on the field against Collingwood at the MCG.

The Blues were later fined $75,000 for bringing the game into disrepute over their handling over the matter in April after the AFL said Hollands should have been removed from the field earlier than he was, citing visual clues, performance data during the match, and knowledge of his individual circumstances.

“These findings have been made against the Carlton Football Club collectively, not against any individual,” league CEO Andrew Dillon said in a press conference in May.

Speaking on 3AW on Saturday, Wright was asked directly if he thought Hollands would return to play at the club.

“I doubt it,” he said, adding that Hollands continues to receive support.

“That’s coming through the club, but also, too, wider than that,” he said.

“He hasn’t been back to the club, and he’s considering what he does, but certainly we’re just trying to be there and support him.

“We’ll work out what that looks like from a futuristic point of view a little bit later on.”

The Blues fell four goals behind against the Dockers in the opening 12 minutes on Saturday, looking slow, outnumbered and second-rate. That’s when the Fraser way took hold.

They rallied to close to within three points at the first break, led by 11 points at half-time and then dominated the second half to win 18.11 (119) to 12.10 (82). They had 114 more disposals and 56 more marks.

The key to the early turnaround, midfield star Sam Walsh revealed, was “not making it a bit a bigger deal than it needed to be”.

“At the moment, we’re probably assessing what’s not working and changing in game, which has been a growth,” he told The Age .