Bulldogs Brownlow Medallist expresses frustration with 'fictional character' Ugle-Hagan

Western Bulldogs Brownlow Medallist Brad Hardie believes his old club has reached its wits end when it comes to the antics of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

The star forward has not played this year and appears no closer to returning to the field, with off-field issues continuing to arise.

Ugle-Hagan was once again seen on an Instagram story out drinking and partying over the weekend, while he trains away from the main group whenever he appears at Whitten Oval.

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There have been calls for the Bulldogs to withhold the 23-year-old's pay. Former Essendon coach James Hird posed the question himself on Nine's Footy Classified.

Hardie says the club has explored all possibilities, but feels resigned to the fact that they are out of options.

"They can't (stop paying him) and they know that. They would like to have. It appears the only time he and his management group appear is to receive money, so it's rather bizarre," Hardie told 3AW.

"I think the club has had discussions with the AFL and gone down all of those paths.

"The Bulldogs are going 'OK, we've got to throw our arms around one guy, what about the other 44, how do we look after all of this', it's just impossible mate.

"He might choose to leave, I think he probably has already chosen the idea to leave, but he's got to understand it'll be at the control of the Bulldogs because he's still under contract. It's not a case of where he walks out the door and goes where he wants.

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"Everybody is (getting frustrated). Jamarra to me is almost becoming a fictional character.

"The club can't do anymore. I think they have done everything they possibly can and as far as I understand, it's in the hands of the AFL now."

Nine's chief AFL reporter Tom Morris said of this latest setback that the Dogs are running out of patience.

"The issue is he doesn't seem to be learning from the issues that he's having with the club. They want to trust him, but he's not giving them many reasons to do so," Morris told Footy Classified.

Geelong coach Chris Scott wouldn't rule out making a play for Ugle-Hagan in the off-season if the opportunity arose.

"We consider everything and we're really open to having dangerous conversations," Scott said on Tuesday night.

"I think we've got to the point now where if people want to criticise us for considering things, we'll wear that.

"Just because we talk about it doesn't mean we're going to do it necessarily, but they're challenging situations because everyone sees the talent. We wouldn't be talking about this if he wasn't such a talented young player.

"In a really competitive environment, your salary cap is one of your key markers. You're paying someone a lot of money to not play, you kind of want them to get back out on the park."

Ugle-Hagan is contracted to the Western Bulldogs until the end of the 2026 season.