THE WESTERN Bulldogs will keep a closer eye than most on what eventuates from the AFL's review into the contentious Northern and Next Generation Academies.

The reason?

A teenager being inevitably compared – fairly or not – to champion Sydney forward Lance Franklin looms as a potential long-term piece in the club's plans.

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Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, from Warrnambool but boarding at Melbourne's Scotch College and playing in the NAB League for Oakleigh Chargers, is being touted as high as a top-five draft pick in 2020.

The 194cm Aboriginal forward, an athletic left-footer in Franklin's mould, is in the Bulldogs' NGA, giving them priority draft access to him.

Ugle-Hagan could be the next Tarryn Thomas, Nick Blakey, Isaac Quaynor, Isaac Heeney or Jack Bowes – all Academy products taken in the first round of the draft.

His best and his upside are tantalising and there is a lack of promising talls in next year's crop, but his inconsistency from match to match and even within games is part of the reason he is polarising.

Another complication is the Academy review, which is reaching its conclusion, and the likely tightening of the guidelines.

If he reaches his potential, Ugle-Hagan is the gift coach Luke Beveridge's forward line is crying out for, although his light frame means he is highly unlikely to make an Aaron Naughton-like instant impact.

Two Bulldogs who've been tried in attack, Josh Schache and Billy Gowers, have had recent stints in the VFL, while another, Tom Boyd, is more than a month into his premature retirement.

Josh Schache was dropped after playing the first four games this year. Picture: AFL Photos



As we know, their premiership fairytale in 2016 was followed by consecutive seasons of missing the finals, and they are 14th on the ladder midway through this year.

Yet Beveridge's playing list – one of the AFL's most intriguing – was remarkably the sixth-youngest entering the 2019 season after enduring significant turnover.

The midfield is deep, headlined by superstar Marcus Bontempelli and including Jack Macrae, Josh Dunkley, Tom Liberatore, Lachie Hunter, Mitch Wallis, Toby McLean, Patrick Lipinski and rising star Bailey Smith.

Smith, last year's No.7 draft selection, helps address the criticism of the unit being 'one-paced', with their top pick a year earlier, Ed Richards, also blessed with speed to burn.

The focus is often on the lack of size at either end, with 182cm Sam Lloyd leading the club's goalkicking, and 187cm Easton Wood sometimes tasked with manning the opposition's No.1 target.

Naughton was a rookie sensation down back but is now onerously the focal point in attack, while the Dogs recently brought Jackson Trengove in to support former forward Zaine Cordy in defence.

Aaron Naughton has been redeployed in attack to great effect. Picture: AFL Photos



They also picked up ex-Cat Ryan Gardner, a 197cm swingman, in the mid-season rookie draft in late May, and he instantly broke into the senior side until he was dropped this week.

Meanwhile, key defenders Lewis Young and Fletcher Roberts – a key part of the flag-winning team three years ago – languish in the VFL.

"You're not just going to pick a big player because he's big," Beveridge said after last week's win over Carlton.

"They have to be playing well, they have to be able to cover the ground (and) they have to be ready for the level.

"We've had lads playing at VFL level who are key-position players who haven't got a game because they just haven't been going well enough."

The Bulldogs boast substantial salary cap space that can be used to try and fix any positional shortcomings.

Boyd's departure freed up about $1.5 million across the next two seasons, and missing out on dual All Australian Chad Wingard last year also left cash to splash.

A mix of footballers out of contract this year or next have been linked to the club, including Jack Martin, Jack Darling, Isaac Smith, Darcy Moore and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.

Darling is expected in the near future to sign a long-term deal to remain at the Eagles.

There was an unintentionally dramatic list overhaul at the Kennel in the past three off-seasons.

The changing face of the Dogs' list

Name 2016 games Where are they now? Marcus Adams 11 Brisbane Shane Biggs 26 Retired Matthew Boyd 24 Retired Tom Boyd 15 Retired Travis Cloke N/A* Retired Luke Dahlhaus 21 Geelong Joel Hamling 12 Fremantle Nathan Hrovat 4 North Melbourne Bob Murphy 3 Retired Liam Picken 26 Retired Jack Redpath 10 Retired Jordan Roughead 25 Collingwood Clay Smith 13 Retired Koby Stevens 12 Retired Jake Stringer 23 Essendon

* Collingwood traded Cloke to the Bulldogs at the end of 2016

Only 13 premiership Dogs remain, and one (Dale Morris) hasn't played this season because of a knee injury and another (Roberts) has appeared just twice.

Lin Jong, who was unlucky not to play in that Grand Final because of an untimely injury, is also taking a mental health break from the game.

This is quite a different side and one very much in transition, with potential pieces of the puzzle such as Ugle-Hagan still about 17 months off joining the cause.

The 17-year-old flashed his potential in a prolific fortnight this month, slotting nine goals for Scotch College then five more the following weekend for the Chargers.

One particularly impressive mark that day caught everyone's attention.

Next year's draft looms as an interesting one for the Bulldogs, who have other draftable Academy talent in Cody Raak (his father, Marc, was born in Zimbabwe) and Ewan MacPherson, son of Steve.

Raak has returned from a broken arm in the past month, while MacPherson – brother of Gold Coast's Darcy – captained the Vic Metro under-16 team last year.

There is an industry belief the Dogs could look to follow in North Melbourne's (Thomas) and Sydney's (Blakey) footsteps and use their 2020 first-round selection as a trade chip.

If Beveridge and co. do ship it off, they would under current rules still be able to match any rival bid for Ugle-Hagan with a combination of later picks.

However, an impending AFL announcement about the results of its Academy review could thwart any such plan.

It is understood cases like Raak's were closely scrutinised.

The 190cm swingman qualifies for the NGA because of his father's birthplace, even though he emigrated to Australia at a young age and carved out a successful local football career in Victoria.

The rule was designed to encourage clubs to develop more multicultural and Aboriginal talent.

Critics argue the likes of Ugle-Hagan, Quaynor, Thomas, West Coast's Jarrod Cameron, Demon Toby Bedford and even Raak would make the AFL without the NGA system.

Where this situation ends up could impact on the Bulldogs as much as any club in the short term.

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