Hopes are fading that young Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will be available for the early part of the season as injury concerns emerged for two other Bulldogs stars.
Aaron Naughton and Adam Treloar watched from the sidelines as their teammates took part in match simulation at Whitten Oval on Friday.
Aaron Naughton celebrates with Adam Treloar.Credit: Getty Images
Naughton injured his calf before Christmas and has been battling illness for several weeks, while Treloar is also carrying a calf injury and has been complaining of general soreness.
The club remains hopeful that both will play in the club’s more serious match simulation on Sunday week during the Bulldogs’ pre-season training camp in Noosa.
It remains unclear if Ugle-Hagan will be on the camp. He was not at training on Friday, a club spokesperson confirmed, although the Bulldogs maintain he is keeping fit while conducting his own training away from the club.
Two club sources and two close to the player, who all spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issues, said it was unlikely that the 22-year-old would be available in the early part of the season.
The Dogs said this week he was on a “flexible” training plan while he dealt with personal issues.
“With the endorsement of the football program, Jamarra has alternated his training between Whitten Oval and away from the club. The club continues to provide its full support to Jamarra and remains in constant contact with him, his family and his management,” the club said in a statement.
“With Jamarra’s health and wellbeing of paramount importance, the club requests that his privacy be respected during this period.”
Ugle-Hagan has been spotted training at a boutique gym in Hawthorn, sometimes alongside captain Marcus Bontempelli.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has barely trained with his Bulldogs teammates this pre-season.Credit: via Getty Images
Treloar is coming off the best season of his career. He made the All-Australian team for the first time, polled a career high 26 Brownlow votes and finished second in the club’s best and fairest award, which was won by Bontempelli for the sixth time, drawing him level with Gary Dempsey and one behind record holder Scott West.
The Bulldogs have high hopes for Naughton, who kicked 35 goals from 20 games in 2024. He signed an eight-year contract extension worth close to $10 million at the end of the 2023 season.
He will continue to play as a forward this year alongside young gun Sam Darcy, while Rory Lobb will continue in his new-found role in defence.
The club has said privately that both Treloar and Naughton rarely hit their straps early in the pre-season and that missing match simulation in January is no cause for panic.
However, a club source acknowledged that concerns will deepen if neither player takes part in the match simulation next week in Noosa.
Gun small forward Cody Weightman also missed training on Friday because of a sore knee, but is almost certain take part in the Noosa camp.
The Bulldogs will have their first hit-out against an opponent on February 15, when they face Essendon at Whitten Oval.
The injury news is less than ideal for the Dogs, who go into the 2025 season under significant pressure to perform.
They haven’t won a final since 2021, the year they lost the grand final against Melbourne.
They had a poor start to the 2024 season but came good in the second half of the year, winning 11 of their next 15 games from round 10 before a dismal showing against Hawthorn in their elimination final.
Luke Beveridge, a premiership coach in 2016, is contracted until the end of this season.
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