Jamarra Ugle-Hagan takes leave of absence from Western Bulldogs
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan may have played his last game for the Bulldogs after taking a personal leave of absence from the club, but is it a distraction eliminated for Luke Beveridge’s side?
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Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan may have played his last game for the Dogs after taking a personal leave of absence from the club.
Any faint hopes the gun forward could make a return to the top level this year appear almost certainly over after a decision to fully focus on his personal issues.
The club confirmed on Tuesday Ugle-Hagan and his family had reached the decision to step away after a series of meetings with Dogs’ staff and AFL officials.
It allows the 23-year-old to concentrate on his health, while the call will also help eliminate any distractions for the team as the eighth-placed Dogs attempt to make a deep run in September.
However, the man who booted 43 goals last season will continue to be paid his $800,000-a-year salary after signing a bumper contract extension in 2024.
The club said in a statement on Tuesday an AFL-backed “management plan” had been arranged for Ugle-Hagan who has barely trained at Whitten Oval since the end of last season.
“Jamarra’s health and wellbeing remains the absolute priority and he will be given whatever time he needs,” football boss Sam Power said.
“We will continue to support Jamarra throughout this period.”
The decision will be embraced by Dogs’ players and coaching staff who want Ugle-Hagan to receive the support he needs to overcome his complex issues.
It is unclear when or if Ugle-Hagan will return to the club.
As the Herald Sun revealed on Saturday, significant frustrations had mounted over the situation, with coach Luke Beveridge saying he was unsure if Ugle-Hagan wanted to play again at AFL level.
“He will tell you he does, but the actions don’t back the words up,” Beveridge told the Herald Sun.
“It is going to take a lot of time to build trust again with everyone.
“The thing about compliance and punctuality and being in a program you have to be there.
“You can’t choose which days you don’t come.”
Ugle-Hagan has not trained at the club over the past three weeks and was seen arriving late to a session earlier in the season in an awkward scene for teammates.
Ugle-Hagan will almost certainly explore a trade at season’s end, although the Dogs’ hopes of receiving decent compensation in any exchange have seriously diminished.
It is a blow for the club which also lost scintillating midfielder Bailey Smith (Geelong) and Jack Macrae (St Kilda) in a deal for pick 17 and former Blues’ midfielder Matt Kennedy last year.
Ugle-Hagan could pursue a fresh start interstate next year with Sydney Swans considered a possible landing spot in a trade for a late draft pick.
But rival clubs are unsure if Ugle-Hagan has a future at the top level at all as he continues to work through his personal issues.
The man from Framlingham, near Warrnambool, is contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of next season, and spent time in Perth earlier this year with the Indigenous All-Stars team.
He has continued to post videos of his off-site gym workouts to social media as part of his flexible training arrangement which was announced by the club in January.
Originally published as Jamarra Ugle-Hagan takes leave of absence from Western Bulldogs
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