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No.1 pick Ugle-Hagan keen to shine at Dogs

3 minute read

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan had Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli to thank for his AFL draft night outfit and the No.1 pick is keen to grow their connection.

CLAYTON OLIVER.
CLAYTON OLIVER. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

After borrowing Marcus Bontempelli's jeans for AFL draft night, No.1 pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is set to spend his first season in the Western Bulldogs skipper's pocket.

Adelaide held the first pick overall in Wednesday night's AFL national draft and opted to bid on the Bulldogs' next-generation academy prospect Ugle-Hagan.

The Bulldogs immediately matched the offer, sliding the Crows' pick to No.2 and confirming Ugle-Hagan's future at Whitten Oval.

The teenager lived with Bontempelli while training at the Bulldogs earlier this year and after calling on his new skipper to provide a draft-night outfit, expects their connection to continue to grow.

"I woke up this morning and realised I didn't have any jeans or anything," Ugle-Hagan told Fox Footy.

"So I ended up messaging him and he rang me straight away and was like 'alright mate, come and pick them up at 1.'"

"He's given me a lot of things, but it's been good, he's looked after me a fair bit.

"It means a lot (to play with Bontempelli next year). We had a training session the other day together just to get away from everything.

"I stayed with him when he got announced captain, great opportunity to be there at that time. He's someone to look up to and be a sponge on."

Ugle-Hagan, who grew up on the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve, is the first Indigenous No.1 draft pick since Des Headland in 1998.

When the Oakleigh Chargers forward was selected, it brought his father to tears.

"It means a lot - because I hardly see my dad cry and obviously it's coming from him," Ugle-Hagan said.

"Obviously it means a lot of emotions around the whole room ... I don't know, it's just an unreal experience."

After the bid was matched, Adelaide then quickly snapped up the local option - West Adelaide ruck/forward Riley Thilthorpe - with their first live selection at pick No.2.

North Melbourne sprung a surprise when they snared Victorian midfielder Will Phillips with pick No.3 - and later handed him club great and AFL games record holder Brent Harvey's iconic No.29 guernsey.

Sydney landed West Australian key forward Logan McDonald at pick No.4 and then quickly matched Hawthorn's bid on their academy product Braeden Campbell at pick No.5.

The Hawks subsequently snapped up West Australian key defender Denver Grainger-Barrass, leaving explosive midfielder Elijah Hollands to Gold Coast at pick No.7.

Essendon rounded out the top 10 by selecting Victorian trio Nikolas Cox, Archie Perkins, who said hours before the draft he wanted to stay in Victoria, and Zach Reid with their three successive picks.

The first round ultimately stretched out to 26 picks due to several academy bids scattered throughout, while there were 59 players taken in total.

There was room for romance at the tail end of the draft when Richmond secured Maurice Rioli Jnr as a father-son pick at pick No.51

Essendon bid on the son of Maurice Rioli and the Tigers almost immediately matched it - uniting him with cousin Daniel Rioli.

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