JAMARRA Ugle-Hagan's playing future is in the hands of the AFL amid calls for the troubled star to be stood down, Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says.
The former No.1 draft pick has not played a game this season because of personal issues, and it is unclear when or whether he will return to action.
Prominent past players, including former St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt, have led calls this week for the Bulldogs to stand down Ugle-Hagan after new vision of the 23-year-old partying emerged on social media.
"I try not to think about the social media side of things too much," Beveridge said on Thursday.
"At the moment the decision-making in regards to Marra's future and what that entails is significantly in the AFL's hands.
"We're waiting on them to do certain things and we're continually interacting with them and working through it to work out what's best for Marra."
Ugle-Hagan remains on what the Bulldogs termed a "flexible" training arrangement and is not a regular at the club.
"My focus is absolutely, totally on the group that's here," Beveridge said.
"Sometimes he's here, sometimes he's not. If he is and he isn't, it's not worth talking about.
"If he is and he joins in, we carry on. But because he's not currently available for selection, it's not at the forefront of my mind.
"It's just making sure that the group who are playing are ready to go."
The top draft pick in 2020, Ugle-Hagan has kicked 103 goals in 67 games for the Bulldogs, but has not played since last year's elimination final.
Meanwhile, Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli is on track to play his first game of the season in his side's Easter Sunday test against St Kilda.
Bontempelli has missed the Bulldogs' first five games because of a complex calf injury sustained in a practice match in February.
The six-time All-Australian took a step forward when he completed an extensive training session over the weekend while the Bulldogs were in Adelaide for Gather Round.
He must complete Thursday's main training session at Whitten Oval, but is expected to be cleared to return at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
It will be a huge boost for the Bulldogs (2-3), who have lost their past two games.
Dogs coach Luke Beveridge welcomed the return of his 29-year-old captain, who will be on managed minutes in his return match.
"We can't expect him to play 90 per cent game time or anything like that," Beveridge said.
"He's trained extremely hard with his cross-training for the duration of his recovery, but there's no replacement for playing.
"So he'll blow up a little bit, but obviously it's exciting having him back in the team and we really welcome that."
