Dogs chief says club ‘not anywhere close’ to parting ways with Jamarra as rival Bontempelli meetings shut down

Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains says the club is not “anywhere close” to cutting ties with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, while a report Marcus Bontempelli met with other clubs is “categorically false.”

Plus Sam Darcy has avoided surgery and faces only two to three months on the sidelines in more good news on the rising superstar’s knee injury.

The dominant 2025 version of Darcy is yet to play with Ugle-Hagan, who’s currently away from the AFL program while on a flexible training schedule as the former No. 1 pick battles complex personal problems.

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There’s a growing expectation the Dogs and Ugle-Hagan, contracted through 2026, will part ways at the end of this season for the key forward to get a fresh start elsewhere if he can overcome his off-field issues.

But Bains says the club’s priority right now is supporting Ugle-Hagan’s welfare and insists it isn’t looking any further ahead or considering moving on from the troubled player.

“I don’t think we’re anywhere close to that point, that’s not occupying any of our thoughts. There’s often a rush for final judgement on this,” Bains said of Ugle-Hagan’s future on SEN radio.

“We’ve only just completed six rounds, ‘Mara’ is contracted until the end of next year. Our focus is very much on supporting him from a medical perspective and helping him get to where he needs to go to.

“We need to ensure he’s doing absolutely everything he needs to help himself, that’s part of the juggle and challenge.

“Football is a fair way off at this point in time and not a consideration for us at all.

“We’ve got a young 23-year old man dealing with complex personal challenges. Our only concern right now is supporting him and assisting him with his health and wellbeing.”

NCA. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. 13th March, 2025 . AFL. Western Bulldogs training at Whitten Oval. Bulldog Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Rory Lobb at training today . Picture: Michael Klein Source: News Corp Australia

It comes after Dogs coach Luke Beveridge said last week Ugle-Hagan’s future was “in the AFL’s hands,” with the club “waiting on them to do certain things.”

Bains clarified that the Dogs are working with the league to get the support from their recourses and medical professionals through a “very challenging situation” that presents.

“Having the support from the AFL medical team to really assist him in a way the club isn’t able to do, given it’s recourse availability and everything they have expertise-wise in this space,” the Dogs chief added.

“Within that are different milestones and new conversations around how we continue to support Jamarra. That’s part of what Bevo was referring to last week.”

Bontempelli’s future has also been in the spotlight, with the 29-year old holding off talks for a new deal beyond 2025 while he weighs up his future and assesses where the Dogs are at.

The West Australian reported West Coast is considering a bold play for Bontempelli, but the report linked Collingwood more strongly to the six-time All-Australian and even suggested the Pies had met with him.

With Bontempelli returning to action last week — starring with two goals from 30 disposals against St Kilda — and getting his new cafe in Kew up and running, the Dogs are “hopeful” contract talks will progress.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 20: Marcus Bontempelli of the Bulldogs is seen with the Barker-Whitten Challenge plate during the 2025 AFL Round 06 match between the Western Bulldogs and the St Kilda Saints at Marvel Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

“We have absolutely zero concerns about him signing at the club, but we’re hopeful now that things might progress,” Bains said.

“I think there are a number of things that Marcus was looking at, but I don’t think any of them gives us any concern that he’s not going to remain.

“He’s a deeply considered and thoughtful man. He does take his time to process decisions and I’m sure looking at how we started and even perhaps how some younger players performed in his absence, all of that would have come into calculations and be at the forefront of his mind.

“But none of that has given us any cause of concern, notwithstanding some of the false reports about him potentially having met with other clubs, which is categorically false.”

Bains also confirmed Darcy had avoided surgery on his fractured knee — that was once feared to be an ACL blow — with the club hopeful the forward prodigy will be available later this season.

NCA. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. April 19th, 2025 . AFL Round 6 . Western Bulldogs vs St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. Injured Bulldog Sam Darcy after match . Picture: Michael Klein Source: News Corp Australia

“We’re very relieved, our medical team has worked through all the scans and consulted a number of specialists on how to best manage the injury,” Bains added.

“We’ve decided to move forward with a more conservative management plan. He doesn’t require surgery, our medicos believe it will give him the best chance of a strong recovery.

“We’re looking at somewhere between two to three months (out) at this stage, subject to the knee settling of course and continuing to monitor his progress.”

The Dogs chief wasn’t surprised by Beveridge’s recent link to Melbourne, saying the benefit of having regular discussions with the out-of-contract coach on where things stood meant they could have “clear and direct” chats in “real time.”

Bains was encouraged by how Beveridge was coaching as contract talks “continue to evolve” amid a “challenging year” given the 3-3 Dogs’ plethora of injuries and player availability.

“It’s obviously very pleasing ... he’s coaching really well and we’re thrilled with how we’ve started the season all things considered,” he added.

The Dogs face the GWS Giants in Canberra on Saturday night.

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