Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s future
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has spoken at length on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s future at the club. See what he had to say here.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says the future of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will be decided by “groupthink” and “probably similar to one or two players in the past” it will come down to what is best for the player and for the club.
Beveridge also said a “great outcome” for Ugle-Hagan would be him playing some AFL footy towards the end of the year as he feels there is “hope and an opportunity” he can return to the game, and the former No. 1 pick has not lost his trust.
Ugle-Hagan continues to spend time away from the Bulldogs as he deals with complex personal issues.
Appearing on Footy Classified on Tuesday evening, Beveridge said while he was confident “he will find his way back”, he was not confident about Ugle-Hagan playing for the Bulldogs this year.
“I have mentioned that some of the outcomes they vary,” he said.
"Ultimately, similar to what's happened with one or two players in the past, it's [about] what's best for the player and what's best for our football club."
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) March 25, 2025
Bevo on whether Jamarra will remain with the Bulldogs beyond 2025.#9FootyClassified | Watch on 9Gem & 9Now 📺 pic.twitter.com/xlDF2P6ahQ
“We would just love to see that week-to-week consistency of training at the club and building up to play some state league footy and then maybe there is an opportunity to play some AFL footy at the end of the year, that would be a great outcome.”
Ugle-Hagan is still contracted until 2026 at Whitten Oval but it is unclear whether he will play for the Bulldogs again, with rival clubs on notice.
Beveridge said the Bulldogs would do what was best for Ugle-Hagan and the club itself.
“I definitely won’t be making any decisions, what will happen is it will be groupthink and ultimately probably similar to one or two players in the past it is about what is best for the player and ultimately what is best for our football club,” he said.
“There’s a lot of unknowns, it only sort of crystallises at the end of the year. There are some media reports that clubs are interested and that happens but ultimately no-one is sure of that until Marra’s management come to us and say “hey this is what is happening and what he wants to happen”.
“But we are passionate about him, we have cared for him for a long time.
“Yeah there is a bit of frustration, but we are understanding of what he is going through and we would love him to re-engage, we’d love him to be a part of our football club … we hold out a lot of hope.”
After returning to training recently, Ugle-Hagan again was not at Whitten Oval and did not attend the Bulldogs’ 100th anniversary game against Collingwood on Friday.
Instead he posted on his Instagram, and went to NBL and Melbourne Storm games last week.
Beveridge said it was an evolving situation.
“I think the challenging thing about today’s society when you are living a public life like Jamarra does is everyone knows who you are and whether it is on socials or someone texting me or ringing me that they have located him somewhere,” he said.
“The expectation around his movement into the future is that it will be a bit rubbery, he will train at the club here and there.
“There will be times where he is absolutely not expected to be in different places and it will be his choice.
“We are working with him on that and sometimes there is a tolerance to.”
Beveridge also revealed that while his contact with Ugle-Hagan was “minimal”, the young forward had not lost his trust as he and the club tried to understand “what his challenges are and whether they originate from his upbringing or if he has run into some new challenges”.
“Not trust, I have tried not to use that and we moved past that a while ago because once it becomes uncertain and you go down that route of not trusting it evokes this thought process of OK do I know everything here?” he said.
“If I am not trusting I have to make sure I have all the information and all the facts so you go in search of that and the more I have found out about ‘Marra’ the more I understand and the more I feel like there is hope and definitely an opportunity that he’s going to come back and play AFL footy.
“I hope it is with us.”
Originally published as Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s future
McGuane: Baffling decisions send Dons backwards at rate of knots
Three weeks ago, Matthew Lloyd said Essendon should win 12 or 13 games this year. Now the Bombers are in a rebuild? MICK McGUANE takes a deep dive into what’s gone wrong at the Dons.
Star’s bombshell $1.4m contract call
Sydney’s young superstar Chad Warner is set to settle his future in the coming weeks, with a monster $1.4m deal in the works.
‘Put a sock in it’: Goodwin admits fault in cryptic Gawn comments
Simon Goodwin has been criticised for inviting questions about Max Gawn’s private life in a cryptic post-match press conference. Now, the Demons coach has spoken publicly for the first time.
R3 teams: Brutal Blues blow looms, Dons’ backline woes fixed?
The teams are in for the showdown between Essendon and Port Adelaide, but it’s Carlton awaiting a possible cruel blow ahead of their clash with the Bulldogs.
Inside son of a gun’s rise to shock debut
Tom Cochrane is used to breaking boundaries, but even he didn’t expect his debut – as the first known AFL player with tourettes – to arrive so quickly.
Expert tips: Dons, Blues bound for 0-3 starts
Both Essendon and Carlton host prime time matches to start round 3 — and our tipsters don’t give either club much chance of a first win in 2025. See the round 3 expert tips here.