'Would be shocked if he's on a list next year': The big question for the Bulldogs and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan this off-season

The Western Bulldogs face a big question this off-season, with the considerations looming over their trade and free agency strategy revolving entirely around Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

Nine's chief AFL reporter, Tom Morris, says it is "blatantly obvious" that Ugle-Hagan will not be at the Bulldogs next year.

The forward and former No.1 draft pick did not feature this AFL season after taking multiple periods of leave from the club, which date back to the end of last season.

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Earlier this month, he also found himself at the scene of an early morning crime, during a non-fatal shooting outside of Melbourne nightclub Love Machine.

Victoria Police are investigating the incident where a verbal altercation escalated into a physical fight, culminating in a gunshot.

Ugle-Hagan was present as a bystander, but police have cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Ugle-Hagan's situation is delicate, with the Bulldogs and the AFL working to support the 23-year-old through personal and mental health issues.

He is still contracted to the Dogs for the 2026 season, but it appears increasingly unlikely he will be at Whitten Oval.

The Bulldogs, Ugle-Hagan's management and the AFL are reportedly working behind the scenes to determine the exact mechanism of his potential departure.

This includes whether the Bulldogs attempt a formal trade, the terms of any contract payout, and whether a new club would absorb a portion of his lucrative wage, believed to be around $900,000 for 2026.

If a trade is not feasible, the club will likely then negotiate his payout figure, including whether they settle on the full amount of his guaranteed contract or attempt to negotiate an agreement, potentially where the club pays him half of the total.

These conversations will play out over the next four to six weeks.

Leading AFL journalist Damian Barrett recently suggested that the Bulldogs may be able to offload Ugle-Hagan without paying him out, citing a potential argument for "breach of contract".

"He's not living up to his contract. I would argue it is a breach of contract on many contracts that employers have in the general workforce ... I feel there is a goodwill component and an AFL involvement [in paying him this year]. I think it's all bets off [next year]," he told Nine's Footy Classified last week.

"If he can't commit to the contract he signed, he's not playing football, he's not even turning up to training."

With the likelihood of a trade diminishing, Essendon great James Hird questioned which clubs would be willing to take on Ugle-Hagan.

"I would be shocked if he's on a list next year," Morris told Nine's Footy Furnace on Sunday.

"He's got a lot of work to do to do that. [I'm] not saying he can't play AFL again, but the way that it's going, I don't think he'll be at the Dogs and I don't think another club will take him."