Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge won’t think about Jamarra Ugle-Hagan until he’s ready to play

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s playing future is in the hands of the according to Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge who says while the troubled former No.1 pick is not at the club he’s “not at the forefront of my mind”.

There have been calls for Bulldogs to jettison the 23-year-old, who has not played a game this season and remains on a flexible training program because of personal issues, after new vision of him partying emerged on social media.

Ugle-Hagan is contracted until the end of 2026 and Beveridge has said previously he would need to regain the trust of the playing group before he would be considered for an AFL return.

That looks unlikely in the near future but Beveridge said he could not get lost in any singular focus on a player he didn’t have at his disposal.

“My focus is absolutely, totally on the group that’s here,” Beveridge said on Thursday.

“Sometimes he’s here, sometimes he’s not. If he is and he isn’t, it’s not worth talking about.

“If he is and he joins in, we carry on. But because he’s not currently available for selection, it’s not at the forefront of my mind.

“It’s just making sure that the group who are playing are ready to go.”

Ugle-Hagan has played 67 games and kicked 103 goals for the Bulldogs since his debut.

But he hasn’t played since last year’s elimination final and Beveridge conceded all decisions about his future, and any plans being put in place around his wellbeing, were being guided by the AFL.

“At the moment the decision-making in regards to Marra’s future and what that entails is significantly in the AFL’s hands,” Beveridge said.

“We’re waiting on them to do certain things and we’re continually interacting with them and working through it to work out what’s best for Marra.”