Jamarra Ugle-Hagan returns to Western Bulldogs after leave of absence

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s has returned to the Western Bulldogs, and the young superstar is open to the idea of staying and repaying the faith - while also apologising to teammates. SEE THE PICTURES.

Jamarra Ugle Hagan is still open to staying at Whitten Oval next season after apologising to his teammates and telling them he needed to win their trust back this year.

Ugle-Hagan ended his leave of absence from the club on Monday as he addressed his teammates and returned to some ball work for the first time in months.

The club is adamant that he will need at least four weeks of football training before he is ready to play VFL but he will be keen to fast-track that timeline.

He is keen to prove that after doing gym work and boxing in recent weeks while in NSW working on his off-field issues he can quickly get back to full fitness.

He believes his time away from the club has allowed him to turn over a fresh leaf but the club will want him to show that he can dedicate himself to his teammates and coaches again.

The key forward told his teammates today as he apologised to them that he had let them down and had to win their trust back in an emotional address.

But after so many broken promises it will still be a long road back not only to playing VFL or AFL this season but fulfilling the last year of his lucrative deal.

While his future will remain a daily discussion point there is a commitment that both parties will allow the season to play out before they discuss what happens next year.

Sydney has been linked to Ugle-Hagan but other clubs are wary of his behavioural problems and would want to see that he can get back to playing football before they assess the chance to trade for the 23-year-old.

Despite his optimism there remains a strong chance that he finds a new club next year given so much water has passed under the bridge this year.

If the Dogs could still see him progress enough playing VFL to secure a first-round pick in a trade the club might decide it is happy for him to move on.

Ugle-Hagan was seen greeting and embracing Bulldogs’ staff in the cafe area, before taking part in a gym session and briefly venturing out onto the training track.

Ugle-Hagan appeared in good spirits and was at times joking around with teammates during a light and brief recovery session, which focused on ball work and touch.

Jamara Ugle-Hagan at the Western Bulldogs Football Club on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

The forward is expected to feature in at least part of club’s main training session for the week on Tuesday as he continues to reintegrate into the AFL program.

Ugle-Hagan had spent time at a health retreat and in Sydney during his leave of absence, but this masthead reported last week that he had returned to Melbourne and was keen to resume his football career.

The No. 1 draft in 2020, Ugle-Hagan finished last season as the Western Bulldogs’ leading goalkicker with a career-high 43 goals from 22 games.

News of his return to the club comes after fellow key forward Sam Darcy made his comeback from a knee injury for the Bulldogs last Thursday night in a major boost for Luke Beveridge’s side.

The Bulldogs sit ninth on the ladder with a 7-6 record heading into a round 15 clash with Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.