Luke Beveridge addresses ongoing Jamarra Ugle-Hagan saga

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has opened up as the situation surrounding Jamarra Ugle-Hagan continues to drag on.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has spoken out about the ongoing situation surrounding Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

The 23-year-old former No. 1 draft pick has not played so far in 2025 and remains on a flexible training program because of personal issues.

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To make the situation even murkier, Ugle-Hagan hasn’t appeared at training for the past three weeks as speculation the club will cut ties at season’s end grows.

While the club moved to quieten those rumours with chief executive Ameet Bains saying those plans haven’t factored in for the Dogs, the coach said the situation will ultimately “come to a head”.

The ongoing separation between the club and the star forward is also reportedly becoming a deterrent for rival clubs who hold concerns about making a play for the 23-year-old.

In an exclusive interview with CODE Sports, Beveridge stated he isn’t sure if the youngster even wants to continue playing.

Beveridge doesn’t know what the future holds for Ugle-Hagan. Pic: Michael Klein

“I don’t know, that is the serious answer. He will tell you he does, but the actions don’t back the words up,” he said.

“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.”

Beveridge said he was hopeful to talk to the young star forward and work out a plan to build a return pathway to the club and the playing field.

Unfortunately a meeting between the parties and the AFL fell through in recent weeks with Beveridge turning his attention to the playing group.

Read Luke Beveridge’s full exclusive interview on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan here

Despite Ugle-Hagan being absent from the club, Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph reported AFLPA rules regarding contracts means there’s a ‘protection’ on his deal, ensuring he’ll keep earning his roughly $800,000 salary.

On Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night, Ralph said Ugle-Hagan had still “not shown that he wants to be an AFL footballer”.

“The Dogs are despairing, six months on,” Ralph said.

“He barely trains with the club, he hangs with the same friends who are not conducive to an AFL career, he’s not really interested in the counsel from the likes of ‘Buddy’ Franklin or Eddie Betts.

“This is almost unprecedented in modern football, so the club is considering all kinds of options. They want a lightbulb moment.

Ugle-Hagan hasn’t trained in weeks. Picture: Michael Klein

“So, is it that they don’t pay him for some time or dock some of his pay? Is it an indefinite break from the game – would that help him or hinder him? They are open to all of those discussions.

“Because right now the real fear is not that he won’t return for the Bulldogs – I think they’ve given up all hope on that at the end of the year – it’s that not a single AFL club out there would be interested by the end of the season and he quite quickly could be lost to AFL football.

“It is a massive concern, not for the Dogs in terms of trade value, but for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s AFL future.”

While the saga drags on, the Dogs will be in action on Saturday night when they take on the GWS Giants from 7:35pm (AEST).