Jamarra Ugle-Hagan completes first main training session with Western Bulldogs teammates following his return to the club
For the first time in months, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan trained with teammates at the Bulldogs main training session. How did it go? What did he do? What’s to come? Get the inside word here.
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Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has passed his first real physical test since returning to the Western Bulldogs, completing the team’s main training session at Whitten Oval.
Ugle-Hagan, who returned to the club on Monday – seven weeks after it was announced he was taking leave from the club to deal with personal issues – trained with teammates for the first time in months for almost 90 minutes, completing running drills and showing moments of fine football touch in match simulation drills.
He hit the track shortly before 10am, laughing and joking with teammates in his running group including Sam Davidson and Arty Jones, in fresh blue Nike boots for his first real kick of the Sherrin in months.
Early ball drills saw Ugle-Hagan – who still has weeks of physical conditioning to complete before he will be considered for VFL selection – in promising touch by foot, nailing four teammates consecutively squarely on the chest with pinpoint accuracy while on the run which impressed onlookers given his months away from football training.
Those close to the former No. 1 pick say he is optimistic about the form he can return to, having kicked 43.35 last season.
Match-style drills saw Ugle-Hagan grouped alongside skipper Marcus Bontempelli and Oskar Baker, using his body and moving freely before leading forward.
He engaged in drills for almost an hour before completing some solo running work on the boundary under the eye of football department officials before rejoining goalkicking drills to close out the session.
The plan now is for Ugle-Hagan, who had been under a flexible training agreement with the club, to integrate back into the AFL program with the expectation to attend sessions with teammates while also acknowledging that there remains plenty still to work through both on and off the field.
He had been training away from the club at a number of gyms and boxing facilities as part of that arrangement, and while the option to complete extra training remains open to all players, the club would be eyeing Ugle-Hagan training full-time at Whitten Oval again.
Attending games would be the next step in that path back to football.
A number of fans in attendance at training on Tuesday were in full support of Ugle-Hagan’s return to the club, with regular training quartet Rose, Jenny, Karola and Ann thrilled to see the Framlingham product back at the club.
“It’s fantastic,” Rose told this masthead.
“I just really hope he manages to get himself right. Football is one thing, but just in himself.
“This is the best place for him to be, and we want to see him back at his best.”
Fellow supporter Jenny said despite trade talk, she wanted him to remain in red, white and blue.
“All this talk about him being a good fit for Sydney … what about a good fit at the Western Bulldogs?,” she exclaimed.
The forward addressed teammates in his return to the club on Monday and expressed his remorse for some of his actions over recent months, and appeared engaging and in good spirits with teammates on Tuesday both on and off the track.
Bulldogs officials – though not players – will gather at the MCG on Tuesday night in celebration of Bontempelli and Tom Liberatore’s looming 250th game milestones that will be notched in coming weeks, family, friends, coterie members and club sponsors to convene to mark the occasions for two of the club’s favourite sons.
Originally published as Jamarra Ugle-Hagan completes first main training session with Western Bulldogs teammates following his return to the club
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