Jamarra Ugle-Hagan meets with Gold Coast Suns for a medical ahead of potential trade

The star forward was eager to return to the playing field next season as the Suns and Western Bulldogs look to finalise a deal.

“Obviously it’s unbelievable weather up here, I just have to tick a couple more boxes and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Gold Coast list boss Craig Cameron said the club has been impressed with the 23-year-old’s dedication to return to the AFL.

“We were looking to see someone who was going to make a commitment to getting himself back to a position where he could play consistent football,” Cameron said on AFL Trade Radio.

“He met with our leadership group. He met with our Indigenous liaison officer, Jarrod Harbrow, and obviously had a chat to the coach and myself.

“...I’ve still got to get down to Robbie D’Orazio, his manager, on what the contract and protections look like inside that. So there’s a little bit to play out, but we are progressing on that.”

Cameron also stated that while the club is confident they can help Ugle-Hagan find some redemption in his AFL journey, the crux of this move is that they believe he can have a positive influence on their football team.

“The number one thing is, do we think that a Jamarra fit and healthy can help us as a footy club?” Cameron said.

“And we believe he can play with our keys, because he’s a slightly different tall player inside our forward 50.

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“We don’t think he’s a legitimate key position player. We just think he’s a player with high forward craft and IQ, which adds a different mix. The redemption side of things, I mean, that’s a nice story, but the number one thing is he’s got to be able to come in and play football for us and play to a level.

“I think the fact that we’re not in Victoria and we’re out of that football bubble and away from some of the elements that have probably taken Jamarra away from the path that he should be on is a good place for him to start to rebuild his footy career. In fact, I think they’re a major part of it.

“We have a pretty strong Indigenous cohort within our playing group, which I think can also help Jamarra. We have great confidence that Jarrod Harbrow, as our liaison officer, will play a big role in all of that as well.”