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As Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s life began to spiral, there was one man who knew more than most – Ameet Bains. The Bulldogs chief executive opens up on what really happened behind closed doors. (Michael Warner)
As Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s life began to spiral, there was one man who knew more than most – Ameet Bains. The Bulldogs chief executive opens up to Michael Warner on what really happened – and is happening – behind closed doors at Whitten Oval.
For a fleeting moment five months ago, the Western Bulldogs dared to dream that Jamarra Ugle-Hagan could make it back.
Sitting in the loungeroom of chief executive Ameet Bains’ home, the 2020 No.1 draft pick had returned with a “sparkle in his eye” after a stint in a Queensland health retreat.
“He was at my house for dinner and sitting on the couch with my kids, who he knows pretty well, and you could see the uncomplicated nature of Jamarra in the way that you saw it when he first came to the footy club – and that gave you hope – mostly for him, because as we have said all along, our primary concern was for Jamarra as a person and it still is,” Bains said of the saga that overshadowed the Bulldogs’ season.
And Bains knew more than most about the depths of Ugle-Hagan’s despair.
In an unusual arrangement, the troubled star forward had asked that his CEO be made privy to all of his private medical information as his life began to spiral at the back end of last year.
“At a macro level, and just removing Jamarra for a moment, the difficulty for our game is when players have complex mental and personal challenges – and Jamarra’s are genuine – and having to deal with them in the public realm,” Bains said.
“It’s hard to navigate at the best of times, let alone when you’re on public show. And certainly when you are in an environment where necessarily it requires you to be regimented with where you are, what you do, and the professionalism around that.
“I established a really strong personal connection to him. My insight into his challenges are certainly more instructive than they have been with other players.
He said he was happy for me to be across everything, which was a really unique situation for me, something I hadn’t experienced before in 15 years.
“There’s a profound sadness that Jamarra hasn’t been able to make it work here on a football level, but having a fresh start (at the Gold Coast Suns), particularly out of Melbourne, is significant for him and ultimately in the best interests of both parties.
“I think we’re all hoping that on a personal level he can really turn it all around.”
On the face of it, the exit of blue chip picks Bailey Smith and Ugle-Hagan (for the Suns’ pick 74) in consecutive years should be devastating blows for the Bulldogs.
But there’s a quiet confidence that the club is more stable and better positioned to make a run towards a second flag under senior coach Luke Beveridge, entering his 12th year at The Kennel.
“We feel we’ve got the right things in place across the club to help us flourish,” Bains said, despite a disappointing season in which the Dogs missed out on September action.
“It’s a very even competition. You need everything to be going in your favour and hopefully that does unfold for us, but we’ll certainly go into next year with some confidence around where we sit – and stability is paramount within that.”
THE CORNES BAN
Not everyone is convinced.
Outspoken media commentator Kane Cornes has been at the head of the queue in questioning the direction of the Dogs under Beveridge.
Tensions flared when the pair exchanged words before the round 11 Geelong-Bulldogs game at GMHBA Stadium.
Bains confirmed that Cornes was not welcome in the Bulldogs’ changing rooms before matches – an edict likely to remain in place next year.
“‘Bevo’ is such a staunchly loyal person, so he will defend his people if he feels like they’ve been wronged or attacked and, at times, people don’t like being stood up to,” Bains said.
Ultimately there’s a balance on these things, but from our end, we know it’s coming from a good place.
“There’s obviously a relationship challenge there but we have a strong partnership with Channel 7 and have been fortunate to have a lot of primetime games.
“So once the fixtures are out we’ll definitely have a chat about how we continue to collaborate and address it.”
Asked to explain the reason for the ban on Cornes, Bains said: “In the rooms, particularly pre-game, is the most tense time of the working week for our coaches and our players. So, it’s our job as a club to ensure that any significant distractions are removed.”
The headline act when it comes to optimism at the Mission Whitten Oval is the stunning rise of Sam Darcy.
Contracted last December on a four-year deal worth just shy of $900,000 a season, Bains conceded the star forward might already be on “unders”.
“It obviously came together on the field this year, but I reckon if you ask most people who either are in the football department or spend a bit of time around it, even when Sam first came through in the first 12 to 18 months, there were elements of both his approach and what he could do, that everyone could tell was special,” Bains said.
“For a guy that size, his athleticism and his skills are phenomenal. And just his competitive nature and instinct.
He’s a very loyal kid and a third-generation Bulldog. To play at the same footy club as his dad and his grandfather means a lot to him.
“Does his contract reflect his market value? I mean if you look at some of the reported numbers that were landed on contracts in the back half of the year, you could argue that perhaps Sam’s already on unders compared to where the market’s gone.”
Darcy, 22, and skipper Marcus Bontempelli played just 11 games together this season. Cody Weightman will be back, the Footscray VFL side won the premiership and Joel Freijah has emerged as a mini-Bont.
Then there’s Zak Butters, the superstar Port Adelaide free agent (and childhood Western Bulldogs fan) who is firmly in the club’s sights for 2027.
“Obviously, he’s a contracted player and he’ll need to make a decision as to what he does,” Bains said. “He’s an incredibly talented player.”
OFF-FIELD BUSINESS
Bains, 47, has been in charge at the Whitten Oval since December 2017, forging close “partnerships” with Beveridge, president Kylie Watson-Wheeler, director Luke Darcy and footy boss Sam Power.
“The trust and respect is very strong. The sense of alignment is very strong,” he said.
“Kylie’s been on the board for about 12 years and has been president for five and is clearly someone who’s very successful in her own right (as Disney’s managing director in Australia and New Zealand).
“She’s also the Asia-Pacific head of ESPN, so her sports experience and sports acumen is really strong.”
On Darcy Snr’s influence since he walked away from his media career, Bains said: “He just knows the football club so well, but he’s also conscious that he’s a player parent and so the boundaries that he keeps around decision making with footy matters is really admirable.”
Asked about the contentious exit of favourite son and former football boss Chris Grant, he said: “There are no issues from the club’s end. There were clearly some tension points at the time of his departure, but ultimately he’s a legend of our club. He was voted number three in our all-time playing list and we hold him in the highest reverence.
“Chris is always welcome here as he’s done following (AFLW daughter) Issy around at her games.”
In October, Bains ran a narrow second to Sydney CEO Tom Harley in the race to become Andrew Dillon’s deputy and the likely next AFL supremo.
“I’ve been in the industry for a very long time, so to be recognised was a nice thing, but ultimately I think Tom will be excellent in the role and I’ve got a lot of unfinished business here,” he said.
Once perennial cellar-dwellers, the Bulldogs have been debt free since 2017 thanks to the hard work of past and present staff and board members.
The club hit a record 65,000 members this year, is second only to West Coast in terms of net assets and boasts one of the best high-performance facilities in the country.
The Bulldogs were also the No.1 crowd puller at Marvel Stadium ahead of Carlton and Essendon in 2025.
“We’re still chasing the bigger Melbourne clubs on membership, but that’ll be the next obvious frontier, getting to 70,000 for the first time,” Bains said.
And what a lot of people forget about the west and particularly Footscray, is that we’re only five minutes from the city. We’re actually more central and vibrant than a lot of people give the west of Melbourne credit for.
“There’s clearly a lot of Bulldog supporters that live out here. Almost half of our membership base is in the west and our number one membership postcode is Werribee, so through this region our support is very strong.
“And what I’ve also learnt is that in the inner-west, Footscray, Yarraville, Seddon – whenever the team goes really well, and 2016 and 2021 are the obvious examples … a lot of people who aren’t Bulldog supporters have got another team to rally around because they see the club representing them as a community, not just being a football team in the AFL.
“That’s a really powerful piece that we have.”
The two-year contract extension handed to Beveridge in June reflects the club’s belief that it is poised to challenge again.
“Bevo has clearly been the most successful coach in the club’s history. If you think about what we’ve achieved over our entire history versus what we’ve achieved in the 10 or 11 years he’s been at the helm, it’s profound,” Bains said.
“But the question we had to ask ourselves was: is he still the right person to take us forward?
And do we think he’s going to be the next premiership coach of the club?
“It was an interesting process in terms of how our industry operates. Not a lot of coaches, particularly successful coaches like him, go into the final year of their contract without resolution.
Bevo doesn’t have a manager, which I think makes it easier in some respects, particularly when you’re dealing with someone with his principles and integrity.
“We (Watson-Wheeler, Bains, Darcy and Beveridge) were having monthly dinners from mid-December and it gave us an opportunity to talk about things in real time and assess if anyone was getting anxious or nervous and determine whether he really wanted to go forward.
“I think he was on record as saying that if he didn’t coach at the Dogs he would have had some time out.
“We all felt that two years was the right timeframe and we are excited about what may come next.”
As Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s life began to spiral, there was one man who knew more than most – Ameet Bains. The Bulldogs chief executive opens up to Michael Warner on what really happened – and is happening – behind closed doors at Whitten Oval.
For a fleeting moment five months ago, the Western Bulldogs dared to dream that Jamarra Ugle-Hagan could make it back.
Sitting in the loungeroom of chief executive Ameet Bains’ home, the 2020 No.1 draft pick had returned with a “sparkle in his eye” after a stint in a Queensland health retreat.
“He was at my house for dinner and sitting on the couch with my kids, who he knows pretty well, and you could see the uncomplicated nature of Jamarra in the way that you saw it when he first came to the footy club – and that gave you hope – mostly for him, because as we have said all along, our primary concern was for Jamarra as a person and it still is,” Bains said of the saga that overshadowed the Bulldogs’ season.
And Bains knew more than most about the depths of Ugle-Hagan’s despair.
In an unusual arrangement, the troubled star forward had asked that his CEO be made privy to all of his private medical information as his life began to spiral at the back end of last year.
“At a macro level, and just removing Jamarra for a moment, the difficulty for our game is when players have complex mental and personal challenges – and Jamarra’s are genuine – and having to deal with them in the public realm,” Bains said.
“It’s hard to navigate at the best of times, let alone when you’re on public show. And certainly when you are in an environment where necessarily it requires you to be regimented with where you are, what you do, and the professionalism around that.
“I established a really strong personal connection to him. My insight into his challenges are certainly more instructive than they have been with other players.
He said he was happy for me to be across everything, which was a really unique situation for me, something I hadn’t experienced before in 15 years.
“There’s a profound sadness that Jamarra hasn’t been able to make it work here on a football level, but having a fresh start (at the Gold Coast Suns), particularly out of Melbourne, is significant for him and ultimately in the best interests of both parties.
“I think we’re all hoping that on a personal level he can really turn it all around.”
On the face of it, the exit of blue chip picks Bailey Smith and Ugle-Hagan (for the Suns’ pick 74) in consecutive years should be devastating blows for the Bulldogs.
But there’s a quiet confidence that the club is more stable and better positioned to make a run towards a second flag under senior coach Luke Beveridge, entering his 12th year at The Kennel.
“We feel we’ve got the right things in place across the club to help us flourish,” Bains said, despite a disappointing season in which the Dogs missed out on September action.
“It’s a very even competition. You need everything to be going in your favour and hopefully that does unfold for us, but we’ll certainly go into next year with some confidence around where we sit – and stability is paramount within that.”
THE CORNES BAN
Not everyone is convinced.
Outspoken media commentator Kane Cornes has been at the head of the queue in questioning the direction of the Dogs under Beveridge.
Tensions flared when the pair exchanged words before the round 11 Geelong-Bulldogs game at GMHBA Stadium.
Bains confirmed that Cornes was not welcome in the Bulldogs’ changing rooms before matches – an edict likely to remain in place next year.
“‘Bevo’ is such a staunchly loyal person, so he will defend his people if he feels like they’ve been wronged or attacked and, at times, people don’t like being stood up to,” Bains said.
Ultimately there’s a balance on these things, but from our end, we know it’s coming from a good place.
“There’s obviously a relationship challenge there but we have a strong partnership with Channel 7 and have been fortunate to have a lot of primetime games.
“So once the fixtures are out we’ll definitely have a chat about how we continue to collaborate and address it.”
Asked to explain the reason for the ban on Cornes, Bains said: “In the rooms, particularly pre-game, is the most tense time of the working week for our coaches and our players. So, it’s our job as a club to ensure that any significant distractions are removed.”
The headline act when it comes to optimism at the Mission Whitten Oval is the stunning rise of Sam Darcy.
Contracted last December on a four-year deal worth just shy of $900,000 a season, Bains conceded the star forward might already be on “unders”.
“It obviously came together on the field this year, but I reckon if you ask most people who either are in the football department or spend a bit of time around it, even when Sam first came through in the first 12 to 18 months, there were elements of both his approach and what he could do, that everyone could tell was special,” Bains said.
“For a guy that size, his athleticism and his skills are phenomenal. And just his competitive nature and instinct.
He’s a very loyal kid and a third-generation Bulldog. To play at the same footy club as his dad and his grandfather means a lot to him.
“Does his contract reflect his market value? I mean if you look at some of the reported numbers that were landed on contracts in the back half of the year, you could argue that perhaps Sam’s already on unders compared to where the market’s gone.”
Darcy, 22, and skipper Marcus Bontempelli played just 11 games together this season. Cody Weightman will be back, the Footscray VFL side won the premiership and Joel Freijah has emerged as a mini-Bont.
Then there’s Zak Butters, the superstar Port Adelaide free agent (and childhood Western Bulldogs fan) who is firmly in the club’s sights for 2027.
“Obviously, he’s a contracted player and he’ll need to make a decision as to what he does,” Bains said. “He’s an incredibly talented player.”
OFF-FIELD BUSINESS
Bains, 47, has been in charge at the Whitten Oval since December 2017, forging close “partnerships” with Beveridge, president Kylie Watson-Wheeler, director Luke Darcy and footy boss Sam Power.
“The trust and respect is very strong. The sense of alignment is very strong,” he said.
“Kylie’s been on the board for about 12 years and has been president for five and is clearly someone who’s very successful in her own right (as Disney’s managing director in Australia and New Zealand).
“She’s also the Asia-Pacific head of ESPN, so her sports experience and sports acumen is really strong.”
On Darcy Snr’s influence since he walked away from his media career, Bains said: “He just knows the football club so well, but he’s also conscious that he’s a player parent and so the boundaries that he keeps around decision making with footy matters is really admirable.”
Asked about the contentious exit of favourite son and former football boss Chris Grant, he said: “There are no issues from the club’s end. There were clearly some tension points at the time of his departure, but ultimately he’s a legend of our club. He was voted number three in our all-time playing list and we hold him in the highest reverence.
“Chris is always welcome here as he’s done following (AFLW daughter) Issy around at her games.”
In October, Bains ran a narrow second to Sydney CEO Tom Harley in the race to become Andrew Dillon’s deputy and the likely next AFL supremo.
“I’ve been in the industry for a very long time, so to be recognised was a nice thing, but ultimately I think Tom will be excellent in the role and I’ve got a lot of unfinished business here,” he said.
Once perennial cellar-dwellers, the Bulldogs have been debt free since 2017 thanks to the hard work of past and present staff and board members.
The club hit a record 65,000 members this year, is second only to West Coast in terms of net assets and boasts one of the best high-performance facilities in the country.
The Bulldogs were also the No.1 crowd puller at Marvel Stadium ahead of Carlton and Essendon in 2025.
“We’re still chasing the bigger Melbourne clubs on membership, but that’ll be the next obvious frontier, getting to 70,000 for the first time,” Bains said.
And what a lot of people forget about the west and particularly Footscray, is that we’re only five minutes from the city. We’re actually more central and vibrant than a lot of people give the west of Melbourne credit for.
“There’s clearly a lot of Bulldog supporters that live out here. Almost half of our membership base is in the west and our number one membership postcode is Werribee, so through this region our support is very strong.
“And what I’ve also learnt is that in the inner-west, Footscray, Yarraville, Seddon – whenever the team goes really well, and 2016 and 2021 are the obvious examples … a lot of people who aren’t Bulldog supporters have got another team to rally around because they see the club representing them as a community, not just being a football team in the AFL.
“That’s a really powerful piece that we have.”
The two-year contract extension handed to Beveridge in June reflects the club’s belief that it is poised to challenge again.
“Bevo has clearly been the most successful coach in the club’s history. If you think about what we’ve achieved over our entire history versus what we’ve achieved in the 10 or 11 years he’s been at the helm, it’s profound,” Bains said.
“But the question we had to ask ourselves was: is he still the right person to take us forward?
And do we think he’s going to be the next premiership coach of the club?
“It was an interesting process in terms of how our industry operates. Not a lot of coaches, particularly successful coaches like him, go into the final year of their contract without resolution.
Bevo doesn’t have a manager, which I think makes it easier in some respects, particularly when you’re dealing with someone with his principles and integrity.
“We (Watson-Wheeler, Bains, Darcy and Beveridge) were having monthly dinners from mid-December and it gave us an opportunity to talk about things in real time and assess if anyone was getting anxious or nervous and determine whether he really wanted to go forward.
“I think he was on record as saying that if he didn’t coach at the Dogs he would have had some time out.
“We all felt that two years was the right timeframe and we are excited about what may come next.”
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