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Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan trade

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan trade

Mercury2 days ago

Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has responded to the recent trade speculation surrounding absent star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Ugle-Hagan is on permanent personal leave from The Kennel and in a wellness retreat on the Gold Coast.
But the No.1 pick signalled a return on Tuesday night by uploading a video of him running and boxing to his highly publicised social media channels.
Ugle-Hagan was later reported on Channel 9 to be all but certain to be a Sydney Swan next year despite having a year to run on his contract with the Dogs.
Beveridge said he took all player movement speculation lightly and had seen no evidence to suggest Ugle-Hagan would be anywhere other than the Bulldogs in 2026.
'You take any speculation regards to any player with a grain of salt, the way we approach it – he's our player,' he said.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is on permanent personal leave. Picture: Michael Klein
'We will do our best to work out what's right for him and look after him, I've got no thoughts that he won't be here next year.'
Beveridge said Ugle-Hagan's investment into his fitness was 'a great sign' and hoped it had translated into an improved mental wellbeing.
'We've got to keep an open mind about his prosperity and his future,' he said.
'I am taking that as a positive, hopefully he's, as I said, with the new challenges to going away and focusing on his own mental wellbeing in his life journey.
'Hopefully, he's got some things in a bit more an order and that can propel him into his footy at some point – when that is, who knows, that might be a fair way away.'
Originally published as AFL 2025: Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge on Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's 2026 plans

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How the man leading Fight MND's Big Freeze met Neale Daniher
How the man leading Fight MND's Big Freeze met Neale Daniher

Herald Sun

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  • Herald Sun

How the man leading Fight MND's Big Freeze met Neale Daniher

Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News. FightMND chief executive Matt Tilley describes his first meeting with Australian of the Year Neale Daniher as 'intimidating', but the former radio star and comedian handled it in trademark style. 'I told him he was my third favourite Daniher brother growing up, thinking that might break the ice,' he says with a chuckle. 'I said, 'Terry was my fave, then I had Chris on my back because number 7 was easy for mum to sew on there, and then there was Neale'. 'He's got a very cheeky sense of humour and I think everyone can see that, but it was intimidating for me because I felt a great weight of responsibility to be taking on a role that was created by him – and he has since gone on to be Australian of the Year.' 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The butcher kept hanging up and Tilley thought the prank was a fizzer, but a producer cut up the huffing and puffing of the man as he kept hanging up, and it worked. That moment spawned the popular segment, Matt Tilley's Gotcha Calls. 'It was a different time, you could do funny accents and different nationalities and it wasn't necessarily from a mean-spirited place, it was more about duping people into thinking it was someone that wasn't me,' he says. Tilley says that he has no problem with sensibilities changing over time but has empathy for people in comedy today. When Tilley hung up the radio mic he took a break, during which he considered establishing a charity fundraiser. 'Not because the times are woke and that's awful, more because the areas you can play in are more clearly defined and that just makes it harder, it's not as broad a canvas. 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Newcastle preview: Home track has Nathan Doyle's gelding set to Attack
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