“Don’t need Jamarra”: Why Bulldogs need to dump star

Nick Riewoldt is firmly of the belief that the Western Bulldogs do not need Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

The former No.1 draft pick remains sidelined for personal reasons with the saga rolling along into the early stages of the 2025 season.

Given the continued ascension of Sam Darcy as potentially the game’s best young key forward, Riewoldt feels it’s time for the Bulldogs to shed the Jamarra weight.

The St Kilda great believes the Dogs should look at getting the 23-year-old back on the field at some stage this season so they can “fatten him up” to maximise his trade value.

“I think it’s clear for the Western Bulldogs now - it is crystal clear,” Riewoldt said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.

“You’ve got one of the best young key forwards we might see in a long, long time, a generational talent in Darcy.

“You don’t need Jamarra.

“So I would do everything I can to fatten him up this year. That means getting him back at some point to play some footy and hopefully he kicks a bag.

“It’s not looking good but he only needs to get back at some point and show what he’s capable of in a game or two. Then extract maximum value for him because you don’t need him.

“Sam Darcy needs a Brody Mihocek beside him, or a Taylor Walker…”

As Riewoldt pondered the perfect Darcy foil, Kane Cornes interjected with criticism directed at the list management of the Dogs.

He feels Aaron Naughton could be that player but not in his current form, slamming the long-term, big-money contract the club gave him last year.

“Or a decent Aaron Naughton would be handy,” he said.

“Well he can’t touch the footy and the board has signed off an eight-year deal and he can’t get near it.

“He is the most overpaid player in football right now.”

Without Ugle-Hagan, the Dogs find themselves with a 2-2 record having kicked scores of 113, 70, 83 and 81.

In that time, Darcy has helped himself to 12 goals, including five in the weekend’s loss to Fremantle, while Naughton has kicked five overall.

The Doggies next meet the unbeaten Brisbane Lions at Norwood Oval this Saturday in Gather Round.