Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's Absence Raises Concerns for Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge expresses doubts about Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's future with the team amid ongoing absence and commitment concerns.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is uncertain if Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will ever play for the team again. Ugle-Hagan has been on indefinite personal leave since the pre-season and hasn't played since the 2024 finals series.

“I don’t know (if he will play for us again), that is the serious answer," Beveridge said. "He will tell you he does, but the actions don’t back the words up.” Beveridge hinted that the club's patience is wearing thin, suggesting commitment issues with Ugle-Hagan have been an ongoing problem.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge highlighted the importance of commitment and punctuality for players. “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. And that has probably been his existence over this year until recently when he has been away from the club.”

The club has invested significant resources into Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's wellbeing during his absence, but staff are growing frustrated due to his social media posts showing him working out while being absent from training for three weeks.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is contracted to the Western Bulldogs until the end of 2026, with speculation about a potential move to Geelong in 2026. However, talks between Ugle-Hagan and the club have recently stalled.

“The plan was to have that meeting (with the AFL) and then sit down and work out what that pathway was or is, and being totally re-engaged and possibly playing again,” Beveridge said. “But because that either didn’t happen or hasn’t happened, and I have been unable to have that conversation with him. We hope he is connecting with the medical experts and from time-to-time our practitioners and that the penny will drop at some point, and we can turn it around. But if it doesn’t happen over the remainder of the season, then I don’t know. It will probably come to a head.”