Scott Gullan: Was this the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Bulldogs?

There were moments of hope for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan recently, but after another slip-up, it seems the straw that broke the camel’s back sadly won’t register a blip on the radar of teammates.

There were fleeting moments over the past month where the ‘old Jamarra’ was seen on the training track. He put two weeks of training together in the lead-up to Gather Round which gave everyone hope.

But then when his teammates flew to Adelaide to play, he was told the remaining players had to do a compulsory training session on the Saturday morning.

It was a test and Ugle-Hagan failed badly.

He didn’t show up with his Instagram account once again suggesting he was out on the town enjoying himself which for many was the straw which broke the camel’s back.

Fast forward to Tuesday’s press release that Ugle-Hagan was taking a leave of absence and sadly it will hardly register a blimp on his teammates’ radar.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is officially on leave from the Bulldogs. Picture: Michael Klein

Coach Luke Beveridge and his lieutenants have been treating the whole situation with Ugle-Hagan like he has a long-term knee injury since the start of the season.

They knew what had gone on in the previous six months and realised they had to put all their eggs into the coming season without the star forward.

While his teammates held out some hope initially, they had grown more and more frustrated with his non-appearances to the point in recent weeks where the leadership group decided they were ready to move on.

These feelings were voiced strongly to the Bulldogs management with Ugle-Hagan becoming a distraction they no longer wanted to have around.

And they knew an extension of that was the fact they most likely wouldn’t get the chance to play with him again.

That’s incredibly sad because the Dogs have emerged as an unlikely premiership contender given the football they’ve produced in the opening seven weeks despite having key personnel missing.

It would take an extraordinary turnaround for Ugle-Hagan to prove to those that matter at the Whitten Oval that he can engage again.

Those who have the glass half-full approach to the saga say the official acknowledgement of absence is a good day and potentially a major turning point.

The young forward may have played his last game for the Bulldogs. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Rather than live in the grey which everyone had been, waiting to see if he’d turn up at training or attend a game with his teammates, there is now black and white.

He won’t be at training and he won’t be at games because he is officially on leave, the same as in any profession.

There is no longer any pressure on him, or more importantly on Dogs officials, to constantly be providing updates or, more to the point, hosing down speculation about his after-dark activities.

One of the major problems in the scenario was Ugle-Hagan’s belief that he could rock up, train for a couple of weeks and then walk back into the senior team.

As his daily Instagram posts show, keeping in shape hasn’t been an issue with 4.30am gym sessions documented.

But finally the penny may have dropped that the lifestyle he was leading wasn’t conducive to playing AFL football. Cruising around Chapel St on a Friday and Saturday nights just doesn’t cut it for a professional athlete.

While there are always going to be some cynics about the mental health card, there is hope Ugle-Hagan now understands it’s up to him to sort his life out and that requires him removing himself from the AFL bubble.

There have been many conspiracy theories thrown around about what his playing future looks like, that the former No. 1 draft pick has been told by Sydney to not play this year and then head to the Harbour City in a trade for a couple of forgettable mid-round draft picks.

It’s not going to be that simple. While the 23-year-old is most likely finished at the Bulldogs, there are plenty of hoops he will have to jump through before the league deems him mentally fit to continue his career.

That’s a long way down the track and it could be a road that never gets used but at least now the Western Bulldogs have some peace.

And hopefully Jamarra Ugle-Hagan finds his own peace.

Originally published as Scott Gullan: Was this the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Bulldogs?