‘Lucky to be alive’: Jamarra opens up on ‘traumatising’ nightclub shooting

'He'll accept whatever comes his way' | 02:21

Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan says he’s “lucky to be alive” after being a metre away from a “traumatising” non-fatal shooting outside a nightclub he claims he had no involvement in.

Ugle-Hagan was present with a friend at Prahran’s Love Machine early on Sunday morning when shots were fired.

Speaking to the Herald Sun for the first time on the incident, the 23-year old said he had no involvement in any way and was being treated by police as a witness.

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“It was that close to me, I’m lucky I wasn’t hit,” Ugle-Hagan told the Herald Sun.

“I wasn’t involved with anything, as the police know. There was 20 people around me and probably another 100 at the venue, but my name is being mentioned like I have some kind of part in it.

“I’m linked just by being there. It’s trial by media. It is out of my control.

“It is traumatising and no one should be near or see any of that.”

Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan says he’s “lucky to be alive” after being a metre away from a “traumatising” non-fatal shooting outside a nightclub he claims he had involvement in (Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele) Source: News Corp Australia

Ugle-Hagan, 23, who hasn’t played at any level this season due to personal issues, said he was getting into a rideshare vehicle at the time of the gunshots.

While the former No. 1 pick said it’s “definitely takes a massive toll on my anxiety and stress,” he conceded being at the Malvern Road venue at that time in the morning wasn’t ideal.

Love Machine has been plagued by violence over the last few years including multiple recent attacks. In April a man was stabbed to death after reportedly being chased from the venue while two men were killed in a drive-by shooting there in 2019.

It adds another chapter to Ugle-Hagan’s series of off-field personal issues. He was cleared of any wrongdoing over his car’s usage in an alleged drive-by shooting last month.

Ugle-Hagan has been on leave from the Dogs for the majority of this season due to his personal battles, having returned to training at times across the season.

Hinkley 'not prepared' to discuss future | 01:34

Ugle-Hagan, who has a lucrative contract at the Dogs for 2026, faces an increasing uncertain future at Whitten Oval and the AFL at large, with the 67-gamer linked to trade speculation throughout 2025.

Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph suggested Ugle-Hagan and the Dogs would reach a settlement if a trade isn’t reached.

“Unfortunately he just keeps finding himself in really troubled positions and unfortunately with people who bring trouble upon him as well,” Ralph said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.

“The Dogs are in such an impossible position. They’ve got to pretend everything is going well with Jamarra, because they want to trade him at the end of the season.

“As soon as those (rival) clubs overlook him, if they do, (the Dogs) will try and find a way to get rid of that $900,00 contract, and that’s the challenge.

“A club can terminate a player’s contract if they’ve engaged in serious or repeated misconduct. Being in the vicinity of a gunshot is not that. Having your car taken unwittingly involved in a crime is not that.

“They could recoup some of the money from all those missed training sessions, but they’ve worked with the AFL and they’ve allowed him at times to access the mental health care we all believe he needs.

“They’ll hope someone trades for him. If he is still on their list, at the end of this situation I think the only scenario for them is to say: ‘Here’s your payout ... here’s $500,000’.

“He could be Tarryn Thomas in a heartbeat. You don’t have a birthright to play AFL football, as extraordinarily talented as you are. At some stage the penny has to drop. It hasn’t done so dating back 10 or 11 months.”

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