THIS time last year, Elijah Hollands was sitting down with Michael Voss after being traded to Carlton.

It was on Deadline Day of the 2023 trade period when Hollands became a Blue, having spoken to Voss that he would be coming into the Club with a blank canvas.

The AFL Senior Coach urged the then 21-year-old to bring his best self to IKON Park. And that's exactly what he did.

And that’s exactly what he did. 

Playing 22 consecutive games in the Navy Blue, Hollands well and truly put his best foot forward to make a good impression, wanting to earn the respect of his new teammates from the get-go. 

“The first thing [Voss] said to me when I got the trade last year was that it was a fresh set of eyes and I came across with a clean slate and I just get to work hard and show my stuff. That stayed true,” Hollands said.  

“At the start of pre-season, I felt I was able to knock over a strong summer and then the relationship I built with ‘Vossy’ has been great, he’s given me some freedom to play a role that works for me.”

Hollands seized the opportunity to cement his place in the team after playing just 14 games over three years at Gold Coast.

Producing a standout off-season and pre-season that caught the coaches' eyes, he quickly became a key selection for the 2024 AFL season.

“Talking to the Club last year, that was the opportunity to come across and try and cement my spot in an AFL side and to play consistent AFL this year has been great,” he said. 

“The coaches and players have backed me to come across and show my stuff. I think I’ve been able to do that to an extent but I’m looking forward to bigger and better things next year.”

Voss wasn’t the only one to back Hollands after his move to Carlton. Skipper Patrick Cripps reached out to offer support as he settled into his new club.

Despite everyone wanting time with the now two-time Brownlow Medallist, Hollands said his experience learning from Cripps couldn’t have been more positive.

“I loved working with ‘Rick’ this year, he grabbed me over the summer and I got to learn under him which was great,” he sad. 

“There are a few boys trying to get some time off him, so to get another off-season and pre-season with ‘Cripp’ and the leaders and the boys is only going to be beneficial for me and the rest of the group – we’ll start the summer hard.”

Hollands solidified his spot in the forward line while also featuring in a few different roles, feeling at home in new surrounds.

Slotting 17 goals from his 22 outings, the 22-year-old found his footing, hitting the scoreboard regularly while also playing a crucial linking role higher up the ground.

“It’s nice to still be flexible and give the side some options in terms of different roles throughout the year,” he said.  

“Spending most of my time across half forward and then swapping into the guts for brief periods has been great. 

“It’s the role I played as a kid so to be able to get back across and play a role that feels natural to me has been great.”

The move to Melbourne seemed to agree with Hollands, who hit career-best numbers in nearly every statistical category as he continues to find his feet at the elite level.

Now that he’s been able to make an impression on the group and coaches, he's out to back it up with an even better showing in 2025, wanting to improve not only his own game, but the cohesiveness and connectedness of the entire playing group.

“At the time [of the trade], I was just worried about working hard and earning respect from the lads. I don’t think I could have predicted what it was,” he said. 

“There are things we should be really proud of as a Club that we can look back on, there are things to look on that we could’ve done better and you’ve got to take the learnings from those.”