Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is pushing for an AFL return but his club wants him to “repair damaged relationships” with teammates and staff before he does, according to a report.
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The key forward returned to training three weeks ago having taken personal leave across the pre-season and along with a positive experience with the Indigenous All-Stars, is pushing towards senior selection.
However The Age’s Sam McClure reports Ugle-Hagan won’t be considered at AFL level until he fixes the relationships with key club figures.
Those include captain Marcus Bontempelli, teammate Rory Lobb – who he lived with for several months late last year – and coach Luke Beveridge.
Bontempelli was reportedly frustrated with Ugle-Hagan’s attitude after training with him privately at a Hawthorn gym across the summer.
Meanwhile speaking on Footy Classified, veteran journalist Damian Barrett reported there was a decision made internally not to play Ugle-Hagan in last year’s elimination final against Hawthorn, for reasons relating to “behaviour” and personal issues.
Yet Ugle-Hagan was eventually selected for the final anyway, puzzlingly starting on the bench and having minimal impact.
According to the report, the Bulldogs “confirmed Ugle-Hagan needed to rebuild trust with some teammates and officials, and said he had returned to the club with renewed positivity and professionalism after last month’s Indigenous All-Stars match”.
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