Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has opened up on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s future at the club, admitting there is frustration with the troubled star but says his players have “big hearts” and are trying to help their teammate.
Ugle-Hagan hasn’t played a match for the Bulldogs this season and has been in and out of training after a number of reported off-field issues.
In a wide-ranging interview with Nine’s Footy Classified, Beveridge revealed his dialogue with the 22-year-old is “minimal” but has hope he will play in the AFL later in the year.
READ MORE: ‘I was so scared’: Murray lifts lid on Bennett relationship
READ MORE: Forgotten star’s revival culminates in huge Shield final
READ MORE: Mass changes for Storm, Broncos star returns
Ugle-Hagan’s social media activity has become a topic of discussion with Beveridge confirming he’s had people “texting me or ringing me to tell me that they’ve located him somewhere”.
Luke Beveridge has discussed Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s future. Nine/Getty
The Bulldogs coach added the expectation around his attendance at training is “rubbery”.
“He’ll train in the club here and there,” he said.
“There’ll be times when he’s absolutely not expected to be in different places and it’ll be his choice so we’re working with him on that and sometimes there’s a tolerance to it.
“But ultimately the way everyone within the football club is dealing with the fact Jamarra is not on campus at the moment most of the time is that let’s just focus on what we can influence and control (and that’s) the playing group who are totally invested and working towards winning games of footy and our staff and the human capital committed to the health of the system, that’s what we’re focusing on … hopefully we get him back at some point.”
Footy Classified is now available as a podcast! Subscribe/follow via Apple, Spotify or Google Podcasts
Beveridge went on to admit Ugle-Hagan has “challenges ahead of him” before explaining how often he communicates with the young star.
“Minimal, unless he’s in at the club, I’m not in contact with him,” he said.
“There’s a lot of third parties helping Jamarra, the AFL have been quite vigilant, on the front foot and helping the football club with trying to influence things in the right direction and it’s really important because we’ve only got finite resources and when you’ve got a list that’s just over 40 and the players need your practitioners, you can’t be side-tracked.
“There’s other people looking after him, providing some guidance and I’m confident he’ll find his way back.”
Beveridge also stated Ugle-Hagan’s management haven’t approached the club with information around interest from other clubs. He added there’s “hope” he’ll stay at the club.
“We’re passionate about him, we’ve cared for him a long time,” he said.
“Yeah there’s a bit of a frustration but we’re understanding what he’s going through … we’d love him to re-engage, we’d love him to be part of our football club … we hold out a lot of hope.”
Reporting around Ugle-Hagan has also suggested he’s lost the trust of his teammates and coach. Beveridge wasn’t willing to state explicitly he’s lost his trust, explaining “the more I’ve found out, the more I know about Jamarra, the more I understand”.
The coach said his players’ understanding of the situation has evolved too.
“Because he’s had some challenges here and there, I think his teammates have found it hard to understand when he’s away from the club that what could be a private thing becomes public through social channels and so they’re not sure and they’re inquisitive and at times they may get a bit frustrated because they are working so hard,” he said.
“… As far as the limelight goes and dealing with notoriety and fame to a degree, he’s going through a period where he’s challenged with that and he’s trying to work through it.
“His teammates have understood that more, because they’re special human beings with big hearts now all they’re trying to do is help him with life than get him back as a teammate.”
