'Would fit in nicely': Lance Franklin's advice for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan as Bulldogs future remains clouded
AFL champion Lance Franklin wonders whether leaving Victoria might be the best thing for Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
The forward has not played this season as he battles mental health troubles, while the club has questioned his out of hours behaviour.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to Sydney, with Fox Footy's Jay Clark describing the club as "in the box seat" should a trade request occur.
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Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Lance Franklin Getty
Franklin, who made the move from Hawthorn to the Swans himself at the peak of his career, believes getting out of the Melbourne bubble would be a good option.
"I think if you looked at Jamarra and said just football, yes, you're grabbing him in two seconds, he was a number one pick," Franklin told the Buddy & Shane Podcast.
"If it was just that, you'd obviously get him to the club, but obviously there's other stuff going on which is unfortunate. So if you're a club trying to get him, you're going to be doing your due diligence ... so there's a lot that's going to go on with that.
"The biggest thing for Jamarra is that he is happy and healthy.
"With Sydney, if he was able to come there, they've got really good leaders. A lot of the boys are from Melbourne, so when they relocate to Sydney, they don't have family up there, that's why they're so close, they literally lean on each other every day.
"If he was to come up there, there's no doubt he'd fit in really nicely with that group."
Speaking on his new podcast, Franklin said the priority for the Indigenous key forward was to simply focus on his health.
Ugle-Hagan during this year's Indigenous All-Stars game AFL Photos via Getty Images
"It's a tough one because we don't know the circumstances that he's in or what's going on behind the scenes," he said.
"Like, how sad would it be if we were to lose him to the game and not see him play footy again, which we don't want to see.
"He needs to make sure he's getting all the support possible and that he's happy and healthy and that he's got good people around him that can support him through that."
Ugle-Hagan is contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of 2026, but is not expected to play for the club this season.
