Christian Petracca follows Jamarra Ugle-Hagan to the Gold Coast to meet with Suns
Demons star Christian Petracca has arrived at the Gold Coast hours after Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was spotted at the Suns’ headquarters to meet with the club’s leaders and officials.
Gold Coast will host Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca this week after club officials and senior players met with wantaway Western Bulldog Jamarra Ugle-Hagan on Wednesday.
Petracca, 29, touched down on the Gold Coast just hours after Ugle-Hagan and his agent Robbie D’Orazio toured the Suns’ Carrara facilities and met with senior staff and players.
The Glitter Strip is Petracca’s second stop after he met with Crows officials in Adelaide earlier this week as the star midfielder weighs up a possible future away from Demonland.
And Gold Coast has emerged as a genuine landing spot, with the draft capital to satisfy Melbourne in any potential trade - albeit contingent on other trade targets and the plethora of Suns Academy products available in next month’s national draft.
One of those targets could be Ugle-Hagan, with the Suns continuing their due diligence by hosting him at the club on Wednesday.
Gold Coast looms as the only real potential suitor for the former No.1 pick, who did not play football at any level in 2025 amid a turbulent year that saw him take an extended leave of absence to deal with personal issues.
The Western Bulldogs are open to trading the key forward, who is contracted to the end of 2026, with both parties believing a fresh start is best.
However any trade would likely be complicated by the $800,000-$900,000 Ugle-Hagan is owed next season.
If the Suns’ interest did eventuate in a trade they could either absorb the entirety of his current contract, request that the Bulldogs cover some of the balance, or strike a fresh contract and leave Ugle-Hagan’s management and the Bulldogs to settle on the remainder of the two-year deal he signed last May.
The contract would come with a range of provisions which would allow them to terminate a deal if he committed a serious transgression.
It would mean he might end his Suns career if he did not regularly train or did not cut ties with the concerning group of friends that have impacted his career.
The Suns would be aware that like all players Ugle-Hagan would not be flawless but they would need to structure a contract that has out clauses for them if he did not toe the line.
Gold Coast already has three notable key forwards on its books in Coleman Medal runner-up King and 2023 first round draftees Ethan Read and Jed Walter.
But after playing finals for the first time this season the Suns are in a hurry to join the premiership hunt and head coach Damien Hardwick has clearly circled the forward line as an area of potential improvement.
Carlton forward Charlie Curnow has been linked with the Suns, although Geelong has emerged as the most likely landing spot should the Blues choose to trade the two-time Coleman Medallist.
Gold Coast also had an offer in front of Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott before he re-signed with the Magpies on Wednesday.
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Originally published as Christian Petracca follows Jamarra Ugle-Hagan to the Gold Coast to meet with Suns
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