With November nearly upon us, only two players in the AFL currently remain in limbo without a contract for 2027 – and for very different reasons.
Those are Jamarra Ugle-Hagan at Gold Coast and Dane Rampe at Sydney.
Sydney’s Dane Rampe. Getty Images
Rampe’s situation at the Swans is simple in some ways and complicated in others.
The Swans have confirmed they are giving the defender as much time as he needs to decide whether he wants to play on again in 2027.
There’s no doubt they want him back, despite the fact that he will be 37 next year.
Rampe still played 17 games for Sydney in 2026, was a clear part of their best team and took the reins as captain with Callum Mills injured and vice-captain Isaac Heeney suspended.
Had the Swans won the premiership, he would have been the man lifting the cup.
And it would have been a true fairy tale story, given Rampe has played in four losing grand finals across his career (2014, 2016, 2022 and 2024) without a win.
This year looked like it could have been the year everything came together for Sydney. They were approaching finals outright second on the ladder, the Charlie Curnow all-in move rewarded them with a Coleman Medallist, Errol Gulden returned from injury in sublime form and coach Dean Cox had the team humming.
That was all before the Pullman Five bomb dropped and, to use the club’s own words, torpedoed their season.
Rampe had more right than anyone else at the club to be filthy with those teammates for squandering a golden premiership opportunity.
But despite the suspensions, the remaining Swans rallied through a chip on their shoulder and a burst of energy from young players given a huge opportunity.
They knocked off eventual premiers Brisbane in a qualifying final and led Fremantle by five goals on the three quarter time siren in a preliminary final at the SCG.
However, they melted down in the last quarter and ultimately fell to the Dockers, ending their premiership hopes. For Rampe, it was just another heartbreaking season conclusion for the pile.
With Heeney and Chad Warner back and a top pick in the draft from the Nick Blakey trade, the Swans should have the ammunition to contend again in 2027.
For Rampe, the question is whether he has another pre-season and another full campaign left in him after everything he has had to face.
Ugle-Hagan meanwhile might be forced to earn a new contract via the supplementary selection period.
Gold Coast Suns’ Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. Getty
The Suns had been eager to re-sign the troubled key forward for 2027, but struggled to get a hold of him during the trade period, given he was in Victoria.
During that time, he reportedly played in a local game without Gold Coast’s permission.
Ugle-Hagan played just three AFL games in 2026, dealing with injury and fitness issues after being traded from the Western Bulldogs.
He missed the entire 2025 season dealing with off-field behavioural issues and mental health problems.
Gold Coast gave him a chance on a one-year contract, with coach Damien Hardwick his biggest supporter internally.
A contract for 2027 was on the cards, but they may now force Ugle-Hagan to train with the club over summer before offering him the deal.