- Jamarra Ugle-Hagan on the outer at Western Bulldogs
- Teammates said to be sick of his questionable attitude
- Young gun is taking a leave of absence, return date unknown
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan appears to be on borrowed time at the Western Bulldogs, with an incident surrounding him skipping a compulsory training session appearing to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for the club.
The forward, 23, is yet to feature this season and after skipping a compulsory training session while his teammates were in Adelaide for Gather Round recently, the writing was on the wall.
The collective level of resentment grew when images surfaced on Instagram on the same weekend suggesting the young gun was out on the town.
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs sent out a statement confirming Ugle-Hagan is taking a leave of absence from the club as he deals with ongoing personal issues.
While the club stressed ‘Jamarra’s health and wellbeing remains the absolute priority’ and he has their support, it is a two-way street.
The former number one draft pick last played for the Bulldogs in the 2024 elimination final.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan appears to be on borrowed time at the Western Bulldogs, with his teammates reportedly fed up of his questionable attitude
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs sent out a statement confirming Ugle-Hagan is taking a leave of absence from the club as he deals with personal issues
Ugle-Hagan (pictured, with ex girlfriend Olivia Kelly) is yet to feature for the Bulldogs this year
It was revealed in March that Ugle-Hagan was fortunate to feature in that season defining match against Hawthorn, with the playing group concerned about his mental state pre-game.
He started from the interchange bench and Ugle-Hagan went on to play his worst game of the season, with the Hawks winning by 37 points.
In early 2024, Ugle-Hagan took time away from the sport to deal with family matters and he later signed a new contract which saw his pay-packet skyrocket.
Midway through the year he split from his influencer girlfriend Olivia Kelly, and not long after, his off-field conduct became a concern.
Teammates started to also worry about the young gun as he started turning up to some recovery sessions looking worse for wear.
Things came to a head before the AFL finals last year when rumours circulated about the star being out on the town.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge discussed dropping the young forward with his coaching panel in the days leading up to the elimination final against Hawthorn.
Once the season was over, the situation was inflamed by Ugle-Hagan documenting a full month of partying on social media.
Ugle-Hagan is reportedly a target for the Sydney Swans – but if he is to switch clubs looking for a fresh start, he will have to prove to the AFL he is mentally fit to resume his footy career.
Given he has trained virtually only on his terms this season, it could be a tough sell.
