Jamarra touches down as Suns bid ramps up; how Eagles package unlocks move — Trade Whispers

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has landed on the Gold Coast ahead of a crucial Suns meeting.

Plus how West Coast’s special assistance package could unlock a trade for a free agent.

Get the latest player movement news and updates in AFL Trade Whispers!

JAMARRA LANDS ON GC AS SUNS BID RAMPS UP

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s bid to revitalise his AFL career has taken another significant step, touching down on the Gold Coast.

Cameras from multiple TV networks were at the airport in Coolangatta late on Tuesday night when contracted Western Bulldogs player Ugle-Hagan arrived in Queensland as he prepares for an upcoming meeting with the Suns.

“Obviously it’s the dream to play AFL football … It’s a good spot for a holiday,” Ugle-Hagan said, per 9 News chief football reporter Tom Morris.

Ugle-Hagan joked he was in town to visit Dreamworld, but declared he’d like to “definitely play football” again.

He was then asked by a perhaps out-of-the-loop reporter to comment on his season that “went pretty good, you played well and whatnot” — to which Ugle-Hagan smiled and responded: “No comment.”

Despite being contracted until the end of 2026, the 23-year-old is on the hunt for a new club after sitting out the Bulldogs’ entire 2025 campaign.

Ugle-Hagan this year took a leave of absence from the Bulldogs to deal with personal issues — including spending time at a health retreat — but was back at the club sporadically and seen training with teammates at times.

He addressed the playing group and expressed remorse for some of his actions that drew widespread criticism about his willingness to apply himself to the demands of being an AFL footballer.

It’s expected a Ugle-Hagan move north wouldn’t cost the Suns much in a trade, with the Bulldogs happy to “let him go for a late draft pick and every last dollar of his $900,000 contract off their books,” according to Morris.

Ugle-Hagan won’t be at the Bulldogs’ best and fairest event on Wednesday night, as he remains on personal leave.

HOW EAGLES PACKAGE COULD UNLOCK TRADE FOR FREE AGENT

West Coast is expected to put its end-of-first-round draft assistance package pick on the table for dual premiership Lion Brandon Starcevich should the club pursue its interest in the free agent, reports AFL Media.

The AFL on Tuesday confirmed it’d handed the Eagles a special assistance package, which included a draft pick at the end of the 2025 first round, as well as four additional rookie list spots for the next three seasons.

The extra 2025 draft pick, according to AFL Media, has “opened the door” for the Eagles to possibly use in a trade with the Lions for Starcevich, who played a key role in the Lions’ Grand Final triumph over Geelong last weekend.

West Coast, which will lose free agent Oscar Allen to Brisbane, applied for AFL assistance after winning just nine games in the past three seasons and registering four consecutive bottom-three ladder finishes.

As part of the Eagles’ initial discussions with the AFL, they reportedly inquired about an exemption that would see their free agency compensation pick for losing Allen — likely a first-round selection, which would be Pick 2 — not being diluted if they signed Starcevich as a free agent.

While the AFL rejected that notion, the end-of-first pick would help the Eagles significantly should they land Starcevch.

Whether West Coast continues its push to sign Starcevich remains unclear after the Lion suffered his fourth concussion in the space of 14 months in Saturday’s Grand Final.

“The big worry, right now, is for Brandon Starcevich … this (concussion) was not as significant as the one that saw him out for three months, but the Eagles have put (forward) a deal that is significant,” Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph told Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night.

“It’s $900,000, as much as six years. They (the Eagles) have contacted those around him (Starcevich) in the last 48 hours — they’re worried about this concussion.”

But Ralph added West Coast’s purported six-year offer isn’t fully guaranteed if Starcevich didn’t hit games-based triggers.

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