Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

[Sedat]

All we can do is continue what we are doing. Supporting our player by giving him the space to deal with his personal issues, reinforcing the standards required to be considered for future selection, and not providing a running commentary to the media. If and when the time comes that he requests a trade at the end of the season, we have a prized no 1 draft pick asset under contract. And we have a head of football who has proven to be a hard-arse at the negotiating table who extracts every available bit of draft capital - people might scoff at that last bit but Power extracted everything possible from the Dunkley and Smith trades given the circumstances of both. It's our fault we fluffed the major component of the Dunkley compensation by selecting Charlie Clarke.

[Jeanette54]

Ironic coming from someone who didn't actually build anything himself, but he did have a good view of talented people who did work hard and made a lot of money off them

Not a bad CV for someone who never built anything himself. He wasn't born to privilege. He was a high school dropout, at one time working as a mechanic, machinist and car salesman. Do you have a problem with success ?

Pioneer of the personal computer revolution with Steve Wozniak Co-creator of the Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and first Apple Stores Co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Primary investor and chairman of Pixar Founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT

[TysonC]

Sadly I think we are at a point of no return, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. Watching both Bevo and Bont talk about the situation in the media you can they're just exhausted over the whole thing, and the worst thing of all is you have an entire club trying to help this kid turn it around yet he seems to be the only person who doesn't want him to. Biggest waste of talent we have ever seen at the club if it ends like this

[SquirrelGrip]

I'm not sure if this opinion piece from Matthew Stokes in last week's Age is already on the forum, but it does seem relevant for Jamarra's situation.

OPINION
Why the ‘personal issues’ label is doing some AFL players a disservice
Mathew Stokes
AFL columnist
Updated April 8, 2025 — 9.50amfirst published at 5.30am

An uncomfortable question has been circling through my mind this year.
Are too many AFL players wanting to feast on the good aspects of being a professional athlete without being prepared to accept the responsibilities and consequences that come with such a career?
Firstly, there is the reaction of some to the criticism and scrutiny of players in the media due to the proliferation of panel shows under the new broadcast deal.
No player should complain as scrutiny and accountability for performance is what comes with billions of dollars being invested into their sport.
Some players might feel unfairly treated or think rubbish is being spoken about the game, but that’s the price of admission to professional sport and all the privileges that come with being paid to play.
If you don’t accept that either don’t play the game at the elite level or do things to mitigate your exposure to such judgment.
Perhaps hold off on switching clubs on a long-term deal on big money if you want to stay cocooned from criticism. Perhaps reduce your exposure commercially if being in the public eye concerns you. Perhaps stop using social media, a sacrifice that might become a benefit, if what comes your way affects you emotionally.
I am not saying don’t do those things; just weigh up the responsibilities and pressures that come with them. And if you choose to take up those options, make sure you have good people around you during flat spots because the public don’t want to hear your complaints. Most have enough of their own problems to deal with.
And while I’m at it, managers need to take the consequences of such decisions into consideration when mapping a player’s career on and off the field. Know your player and advise them according to what is best for them over the long term.
In the most extreme cases that could mean time away from the game or choosing another path in life that makes you happier and healthier. Being a professional AFL player can be tough and a life that is not for everyone. There is no shame in admitting that.
The second component making me uncomfortable is when players – and they are in the minority – don’t appear prepared to make the necessary investment in their life to prepare well and, as a result, become unreliable teammates.
This is not an easy subject to raise in a climate where we are all so aware of the need to prioritise individual wellbeing and are justifiably proud of the advances the game has made in this area.
But can we also have uncomfortable conversations about when a player’s behaviour and attitude makes them someone we need to support more than protect?
To be honest, it makes me uncomfortable to see the phrase “personal issues” used as a catch-all to explain a player’s absence from the game when the reasons for each individual’s absence are wide and varied.
A player who is suffering from poor mental health should be given the space to work through their issues, with all the support the AFL system can offer. This could cover a relationship breakdown, anxiety, depression, a family illness or bereavement.
But if a player’s behaviour is contributing to the issues - for example, alcohol or substance abuse, poor training habits or preparation - should clubs be able to make decisions that prioritise their interests over those of the individual?
That’s an uncomfortable question, but it needs to be addressed. I think clubs should be able to declare that players in the second category have fallen short of the expectations of their contract.
Instead, players in both categories are being painted with the same brush. I feel the focus has become so weighted to supporting a minority of players who might have done the wrong thing that the silent majority who deal with a bunch of issues in their lives at various times are often forgotten.
Let’s not neglect those who turn up and battle through pre-seasons and seasons without complaint. They take on the burden of performance and answer questions and queries about their club and their team while the main narrative seems to be to fight hard to show the greatest respect to someone living outside the team ethos who continues to be financially rewarded. Seasons might be affected and career trajectories altered as a result.
That doesn’t seem fair to me.
The balance seems out of whack at the moment, with clubs unable to do much even if a player is not doing much to help themselves.
We should be proud of the advances we have made in prioritising player wellbeing, emotionally and physically. Everyone in the game wants people to be happy, healthy and flourishing in the AFL environment.
But there is also a reality that some parts of our game are just tough and won’t change.
And while support will always be there for people, sometimes the consequences for certain behaviours should be borne by the individual rather than the club, teammates and supporters.
Mathew Stokes is a Larrakia man who played 200 games with Geelong and Essendon. He played in Geelong’s 2007 and 2011 premiership teams.

[NAUGHTY100]

I genuinely feel we're being played by JUH and his management here, and that doesn't discount him being uncommitted to us at this point in time or being uncommitted to his career.

This absolutely stinks, and I think a deal has been done to get him elsewhere on bigger bucks than the second year of his contract will deliver for modest draft capital. We're not talking six weeks of bullshit at this point, we're talking six months. If something is quacking like a duck, waddling like a duck, then it's probably whatever quacks and waddles like a duck.

Terminate his contract, cut him loose. Send a message we aren't on the table to be ****ed with like we were with Bailey Smith. The similarities can't be ignored.

If that's not the case, terminate his contract and offer all support ongoing for the duration of his contract plus a nominal amount and let him find his way in life without being an AFL footballer. It's time to cut the cord.

After the cord is cut, we can offer every single service and resource he's taking up right now. We can deliver the same amount of care he's receiving and more, but at way less cost to an organisation that can't afford to be in the charity business given we're being held to a higher level of account on child molestation than the Catholic Church and our very existence is at risk.

This is bad business and we're going to pay for it dearly. And before anyone gets into me, I am considering what's best for JUH at this point as well, he can be tabloid fodder without the pressure to keep playing, but with the support the AFL can deliver. At the moment he's eating shit on all fronts.

You do realise that if the club did what your saying it would be in court for god knows how long with a very big chance of loosing for wrongful dismissal , which would get us nowhere in the big scheme of things , no we just have to let this play out and if at years end Marra is no closer to wanting to play with us then we shop him around simple as that , if we take drastic action like your advising , the public back lash will be intense , i can just picture the headlines now , football club cuts loose a mentally ill person , that there does not look good , imagine parents of kids coming up for their draft year saying no way who would you want a child going to a club like that , and trying to get top talent to come over in trades, well its hard enough now while our name is good , can you imagine how hard it would be to convince a top player to nominate us , so yeah we have no coice but to let this play it self out like it or not .

[Hotdog60]

“We consider everything”: Geelong coach “open” to exploring move for Bulldogs star
“We’re really open to having dangerous conversations.”

Geelong coach Chris Scott has admitted that the Cats could potentially explore a trade for troublesome Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, not shying away from Geelong's bold trade target strategies.

The Cats have continuously lured star rival players to Kardinia Park this century, allowing for Geelong to remain in the upper rungs of the ladder year after year.

Former Giant Jeremy Cameron is arguably the competition's best current player and delivered premiership success to the Cats in 2022, alongside former Crow Patrick Dangerfield, who also won a Brownlow medal with Geelong and has aged like fine wine.

More recently, Geelong plucked Ollie Henry from Collingwood's grasp, and Bailey Smith from the Bulldogs, after the former was homesick and the latter was disgruntled by being played out of position.

The outlandish trade moves not only have been pulled off, but they've paid dividends in Geelong's success, with the Cats missing the finals just three times since 2005.

Geelong won't relent in their bold list-building strategy either, with Suns star Matthew Rowell meeting with the Cats last October as he enters free agency this season, while Ugle-Hagan could be next on the radar.

The Bulldogs forward has been granted flexible training arrangements as he overcomes personal issues outside of football, however, it leaves his position at the club in jeopardy.



Potential suitors are undoubtedly queueing up for his talents, with the former Pick 1 a game-changing key player.

Scott did not shy away from that fact and let it be known that Geelong would talk with Ugle-Hagan and his management if they thought he could be a good fit for the football club.

"I always give the same answer to this: we consider everything, and we're really open to having dangerous conversations," Scott told Footy Classified on Tuesday.

"I think we've got to the point now where if people want to criticise us for considering things we'll wear it.

"Now just because we talk about it doesn't mean we're going to do it necessarily, they're challenging situations because everyone sees the talent. We wouldn't be talking about this if he (Ugle-Hagan) wasn't such a talented young player.

"In a really competitive environment, your salary cap is one of the key markers, and so when you're playing someone a lot of money to not play, you kind of want them to be doing everything they can to get back on the park."

Another key forward to pair alongside Jeremy Cameron would be a scary prospect for opposition AFL clubs, however the Cats do already boast an emerging talent in Shannon Neale.

Interstate clubs such as Sydney and Brisbane have also been rumoured to be considering a trade for Ugle-Hagan, as a life outside of the Victorian football sphere could alleviate the pressure that comes with playing in an AFL-dominant state.

Both the Swans and Lions are in need of a key forward too, with Sydney lacking a major target since Lance Franklin's retirement, and Brisbane looking to fill the hole of Joe Daniher after he hung up the boots.

LINK

[hujsh]

Not a bad CV for someone who never built anything himself. He wasn't born to privilege. He was a high school dropout, at one time working as a mechanic, machinist and car salesman. Do you have a problem with success ?

Pioneer of the personal computer revolution with Steve Wozniak Co-creator of the Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and first Apple Stores Co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Primary investor and chairman of Pixar Founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT

The guys greatest skill was finding talented people and latching onto them, reaping the benefits of their work. He was ultimately proven correct about the direction tech would move in (locked down OS that removes customer choice) but too early. It's to our detriment that he got his way. Make no mistake though, when he talks about hard work, he means other people's hard work. Most famously Wozniak.

Billy boy says it better than I can.

[Jeanette54]

The guys greatest skill was finding talented people and latching onto them, reaping the benefits of their work.

He had a vision for what he wanted to achieve for the future. Sounds like a great recruiting manager to me, we could do worse.

[jeemak]

You do realise that if the club did what your saying it would be in court for god knows how long with a very big chance of loosing for wrongful dismissal , which would get us nowhere in the big scheme of things , no we just have to let this play out and if at years end Marra is no closer to wanting to play with us then we shop him around simple as that , if we take drastic action like your advising , the public back lash will be intense , i can just picture the headlines now , football club cuts loose a mentally ill person , that there does not look good , imagine parents of kids coming up for their draft year saying no way who would you want a child going to a club like that , and trying to get top talent to come over in trades, well its hard enough now while our name is good , can you imagine how hard it would be to convince a top player to nominate us , so yeah we have no coice but to let this play it self out like it or not .

Put it another way, do you think if he didn't have talent he'd have been retained, or might we have found a way to exit him and his contract?

[jazzadogs]

I'm not sure if this opinion piece from Matthew Stokes in last week's Age is already on the forum, but it does seem relevant for Jamarra's situation.

This has pretty accurately covered a lot of my concerns with the current state of play (across the competition, not specific to Marra).

[hujsh]

He had a vision for what he wanted to achieve for the future. Sounds like a great recruiting manager to me, we could do worse.

You do you. I'd rather respect a Bont TBH

[jazzadogs]

“We consider everything”: Geelong coach “open” to exploring move for Bulldogs star
“We’re really open to having dangerous conversations.”

Geelong coach Chris Scott has admitted that the Cats could potentially explore a trade for troublesome Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, not shying away from Geelong's bold trade target strategies.

The Cats have continuously lured star rival players to Kardinia Park this century, allowing for Geelong to remain in the upper rungs of the ladder year after year.

Former Giant Jeremy Cameron is arguably the competition's best current player and delivered premiership success to the Cats in 2022, alongside former Crow Patrick Dangerfield, who also won a Brownlow medal with Geelong and has aged like fine wine.

More recently, Geelong plucked Ollie Henry from Collingwood's grasp, and Bailey Smith from the Bulldogs, after the former was homesick and the latter was disgruntled by being played out of position.

The outlandish trade moves not only have been pulled off, but they've paid dividends in Geelong's success, with the Cats missing the finals just three times since 2005.

Geelong won't relent in their bold list-building strategy either, with Suns star Matthew Rowell meeting with the Cats last October as he enters free agency this season, while Ugle-Hagan could be next on the radar.

The Bulldogs forward has been granted flexible training arrangements as he overcomes personal issues outside of football, however, it leaves his position at the club in jeopardy.



Potential suitors are undoubtedly queueing up for his talents, with the former Pick 1 a game-changing key player.

Scott did not shy away from that fact and let it be known that Geelong would talk with Ugle-Hagan and his management if they thought he could be a good fit for the football club.

"I always give the same answer to this: we consider everything, and we're really open to having dangerous conversations," Scott told Footy Classified on Tuesday.

"I think we've got to the point now where if people want to criticise us for considering things we'll wear it.

"Now just because we talk about it doesn't mean we're going to do it necessarily, they're challenging situations because everyone sees the talent. We wouldn't be talking about this if he (Ugle-Hagan) wasn't such a talented young player.

"In a really competitive environment, your salary cap is one of the key markers, and so when you're playing someone a lot of money to not play, you kind of want them to be doing everything they can to get back on the park."

Another key forward to pair alongside Jeremy Cameron would be a scary prospect for opposition AFL clubs, however the Cats do already boast an emerging talent in Shannon Neale.

Interstate clubs such as Sydney and Brisbane have also been rumoured to be considering a trade for Ugle-Hagan, as a life outside of the Victorian football sphere could alleviate the pressure that comes with playing in an AFL-dominant state.

Both the Swans and Lions are in need of a key forward too, with Sydney lacking a major target since Lance Franklin's retirement, and Brisbane looking to fill the hole of Joe Daniher after he hung up the boots.

LINK

This steaming pile really annoyed me. Yeh the cats were really brave and daring to trade for Dangerfield and Cameron.....

[doggies ftw]

I really think people are over complicating the situation with all these crackpot theories that he’s trying to take the club for a ride or his management wants to get him to another club so he’s sabotaging his career, all completely bullshit.

I think reality is a lot more simple, he’s just a young guy dealing with some demons and probably undecided of what he wants out of life. Hell at 22 I was definitely calling in sick on the regular because I’d prefer to do copious amounts of drugs and binge drinking, chasing girls at clubs etc over giving the slightest of a shit about my career. Luckily for me I wasn’t in the public eye and my apprenticeship wages struggled to let me do too much damage to myself, can’t imagine where I’d be right now if I was handed 800k a year at that stage. Probably dead in all honesty.

This isn’t exactly an uncommon situation, it’s probably getting rarer in the afl because you have to work so hard to get to that level these days that most of the kids that have the ambition to make it, are pretty switched on/mature for their ages. But it happens.

Realistically most of these kids grow up and I’m sure Marra will too, unfortunately I’d suspect the damage is already done for him at our club as trust is hard to regain. Luckily for him due to his sheer talent he’ll be given every opportunity by the AFL community otherwise he’d probably already have been dropped but is what it is.

He clearly wasn’t always in this state, I mean you don’t become the #1 draft pick, you don’t kick 45 goals in a season at the top level without being super driven to improve. Saying that’s all sheer talent is bullshit, he’s worked hard to get where he is. Now he’s throwing it away, we don’t know why it sounds like it did actually start from some reasons in his personal life (loss in the family has been thrown around a bit) and clearly it’s just spiralled out of control from there. It’s clear addict behavior, one step forward (all happy and contributing at training) 2 steps back.

It’s a sad situation, for him & of course us supporters too, it sucks. But I think people need to stop looking at it as some personal attack on the club, it’s just not that deep. And I can ensure you the other players don’t give a shit, it wouldn’t be causing any disruption whatsoever, if he was being given games over other more deserving players, absolutely. But the way the club has handled it, if any player is so
mentally weak that they can’t perform cos they’re upset that another player on our list is being paid but not performing… well that player isn’t going to make it very far in this sport.

the situation is what it is, it may turn around, looks unlikely to me now I think if anything the trust here is gone and if he does figure out his shit and decide he wants to be an afl player that’s probably going to be at another club (pushed by us) and we’re probably going to get unders.

Not much we can really do about it now, people need to stop letting themselves get so worked up over it and focusing on the story day and day it, let it be who gives a shit if it goes our way in the end great but forget about it because it probably won’t lol. In reality we have a ****load of cap space going forward we should be able to target some big names with

[Palmybulldogs]

Something I would recommend to all Dogs fans, is to stray away from the footy media in relation to JUH news. As Chris Scott said last night, they continually jump to the worst possible conclusions which will not always be the case. I don’t think how JUH is behaving is good, but I also don’t believe everything they are saying. This far the club has handled it as best as they can. My hope would be that we DONT trade him and hold him to his contract, continue to support him in hopes that he can come good, because if he does, we all know he is a future star of the competition. If two years pass by and he still doesn’t want to be a professional athlete, it’s hard to imagine he ever will. Something I would hate though is if we trade him this year for basically 0 return, then he comes good at another club and tears the competition up in different colours.

[NAUGHTY100]

Put it another way, do you think if he didn't have talent he'd have been retained, or might we have found a way to exit him and his contract?

Absolutly if he was our 25th player he would be gone no doubt in my mind , but as you well know not all are treated equally , its wrong ethically but paractically , the better players get so much more latitude , so many more chances , so its the old horses for courses adage . The club right now is inbetween a rock and a hard place , which ever way they procced some form of criticism will come their way . Im sure some media outlets are just waiting for the club to place a foot wrong and then Marra will be the victum and us the aggressor .