AFL Draft 2020: The extraordinary talent of Western Bulldogs NGA prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
No. 1 draft fancy Jamarra Ugle-Hagan — already compared to Lance Franklin — has been tipped as a player who will “sell memberships” for Western Bulldogs.
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Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is so versatile he could easily play wing or as an intercept defender for the Western Bulldogs next year, according to his NAB League coach Leigh Clarke.
The indigenous teen from near Warrnambool will be taken by the Dogs as an exciting 194cm key-position forward who is certain to make an early impact given his athletic gifts.
Clarke was in charge when he won a premiership with the Oakleigh Chargers last year and believes the year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic will give his body a rest after a busy junior career.
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Clarke, who has moved to the Northern Knights for 2021 as the club’s new senior coach, told Bulldogs fans to buckle up and enjoy the ride for a kid who, for all his humility, is aware of his footballing talent.
“This has been good for his body. A chance to grow without the stress of footy. He has got through the football program the Dogs have given him and it can only benefit him in terms of his longevity. I know he has put some weight on, he has trained with his dad Aaron back home in Warrnambool, and I would be very excited as a fan,” he said.
“He is a bit lighter than the King boys (Ben and Max) so they have him for size but he has them for athleticism. He has the potential to be a midfielder too and we were going to play him there this year to see what it looked like. If you watch him play basketball he’s as good as anyone and he’s nearly two metres, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulldogs pushed him to a wing. His testing at the combine was so strong so they could put him on a wing and his contested marking means he would be useful down back as well.
“So the Bulldogs will be patient but you also need to sell memberships, so you don’t tend to play your No. 1 pick in the VFL. That’s why you pick a player at No. 1, they are ready to play.”
Ugle-Hagan retains strong links to the Warrnambool region, growing up in Framlingham and playing a game with his dad for East Warrnambool last year.
Ugle-Hagan’s last game was for Oakleigh in the NAB League Grand Final last year, but he has boarded at Scotch College where he has helped young Richmond father-son draftee Maurice Rioli jr with his fitness program.
He retains a strong sense of himself and his indigenous links, with his first name Jamara coming from the region’s Gundtijmara people, the traditional landowners of the area encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland.
Clarke said Ugle-Hagan had the perfect psychological make-up to know when to listen to his Bulldogs coaches and when to show the football arrogance that he was born with.
“He is incredibly humble. They don’t go No. 1 without a bit of swagger. So when you give them the right social environment they know when to push their chest out.”
In an ideal world, the young junior prodigy might have played half-a-dozen games with Vic Country, a dozen with Scotch College, another six with Oakleigh Chargers and some more rep games.
Many kids finish that Year 12 season emotionally and physically spent but, instead, he has been able to work on his body, aware he can hit the ground running when he joins the Western Bulldogs post-draft.
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Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: The extraordinary talent of Western Bulldogs NGA prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
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