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Live sport on SN this weekendBuddy Franklin offers advice to troubled Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
SEN • March 13th, 2025 2:15 pm
AFL legend Buddy Franklin has said he is more than willing to help troubled star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan should the Bulldogs defender reach out.
Having spent considerable time away from the club this off-season as he’s dealt with what SEN chief reporter Sam Edmund described as a “complex situation”, Ugle-Hagan was back at training today.
His return comes after months of speculation about his future in the sport with his career seemingly at a crossroads.
Earlier this month it was reported that Ugle-Hagan’s spot in that Elimination Final side was still being debated right up until the night of the clash, where he had two kicks, two marks and didn’t manage a goal.
The report added that teammates began to get sick of the 22-year-old’s antics in the latter stages of 2024 and his ‘dishevelled’ state at club recovery sessions, something that seemingly continued into the summer.
No stranger to the pressure that comes with being one of the best players in the AFL, Franklin was asked what advice he would offer to Ugle-Hagan.
“It can be hard being in the spotlight at such a young age and Jamarra is in that situation now,” the former Hawk and Swan told Channel 7.
“The biggest thing for him, I cant speak for him because I don’t know him personally, is to surround yourself with good people, be open and be in good communication with the club.”
Asked if he would be tempted to personally help Ugle-Hagan, Franklin added: “I’d be happy to have a chat with him for sure (if someone reached out).”
Earlier this week, Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli revealed he caught up with Ugle-Hagan over the weekend at a café in Kew.
Bontempelli said his job is to provide the 22-year-old with a personal level of support.
“Yes we caught up, which has been part of our process the last few weeks anyhow. It was more a general catch-up to check in,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“My angle with a lot of these situations is that it’s obviously got to be really personal and more on a support level and that’s what I am to Jamarra more than I am the captain of the footy club or his teammate, it’s coming at things from a personal angle so I can support him more than anything.
“Things are definitely moving and progressing in the right direction. I’m confident in the plan that is in place, in the people that are around him supporting him beyond me and his teammates, but obviously from a support perspective there is a lot in place.”
