OFFICIAL Jahream Bula #269

[Vicious]

Perhaps, we started paying players as much as they deserve. IMHO, to some experts on this forum, we must pay players we develop much less than the others? Is to them, the grass always greener on the other side? e.g. Marshall, Farah, Tedesco, Papenhuyzen, Pole, etc.?

As a club Wests Tigers have spent the past 15 years at the bottom half of the competition ladder, I assume no fan is happy with that.
A large part of the failure during this time has been inadequate salary cap management, paying certain players more than their true values etc therefore you would assume we have learnt something from all these years of failure and would be very careful with what we are paying each player, particularly the high value ones.
For all that believe Jahream is a true marquee player, deserves marquee player money and will play a vital part in leading us back to the top 8, that’s your prerogative and I hope you are all correct.
Time will tell.

 

[tigahhh]

Another consideration is Bula’s cultural fit and his application to improve himself. He seems like he’s a popular member of the squad and has the respect of Api & Jarome particularly as club leaders. We don’t see what he brings behind closed doors except hear that he is one of the fittest, athletically gifted & has tremendous mental resilience and a team first ethos.

reminds of the pre season YT series they did when they went to a boot camp. he was outstanding, the group adore him

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Another consideration is Bula’s cultural fit and his application to improve himself. He seems like he’s a popular member of the squad and has the respect of Api & Jarome particularly as club leaders. We don’t see what he brings behind closed doors except hear that he is one of the fittest, athletically gifted & has tremendous mental resilience and a team first ethos.

The respect raised to another level when he took on that near impossible task at the army camp all grades were in ore of his intestinal fortitude.

Edit arr T you beat me to it.

 

[old_man_tiger]

The two choices are pay 900 and keep him.

Don't pay 900 and he leaves or you are paying him 800 anyway.

The third way is extending, doubt you can offer less than the 800 or 900 above.

Conversation is pointless and bizarre, I wouldn't risk losing him for a 100k. If the defence has to watch him, and they do, it creates a lot of positives for Api, Latu and Jarome.

Plus he is fairly safe. Every missed tackle ends up with pages of discussion, God help you if you had to watch any other fullback with the same level of emotion, you would die of a heart attach after 3 games.

 

[Vicious]

The respect raised to another level when he took on that near impossible task at the army camp all grades were in ore of his intestinal fortitude.

Edit arr T you beat me to it.

All valid points, but results on the field are what matter most, we can’t continue missing the top 8 for too much longer.
UNLESS we make that elusive top 8 this year or next, further questions will need to be asked and aside from the coach our highest paid players and players in key positions are the ones most accountable.
When Bula returns from injury and we hopefully have a ful strength spine it will be his time to shine and be an important part in winning us games, no more excuses.

 

[Mighty_Tiger]

So if we don’t pay him what Isaac demands we pay him which will no doubt include an upgrade for 2026, Isaac will threaten to have Bula signed elsewhere for 2027.
Have we not already seen this same playbook many times over ?

Again you’re panicking over nothing.

I don’t believe for a minute Bula has asked for Moses to canvas the market. It’s come out tonight that he hasn’t btw. So yet again it’s media crap.

Bula’s partner is here and the agreement for 27 is one from a previous manager so Moses gets nothing for 26 anyway and 27 if we take the option up.

The cards are with us not Moses.

 

[Lestronge]

How about you take a poll?

Your 2-point ranking scale for Bula of "average" or "superstar" is beyond laughable - & your understanding of the fullback market is rudimentary at best!

Jahream has been a blessing to this squad since his debut!

And while he is still a rough diamond in some aspects - he is evidently better-rounded and more valuable than some of the more fancied fullbacks in the competition to anyone with a clue!

You're a sad case for attacking a humble young bloke who has repaid all the faith the club has put in him since signing him on a train & trial - and playing with/coming back from major shoulder surgery!

He is happy and content at the club & knows he is appreciated (regardless of his new manager who is not directly Isaac Moses - it is one of his Cove Agency employees)!

The club (and all quality football analysts) highly rate him & know his ceiling is enormous - so he won't be going anywhere soon!

You're butthurt that Galvin supposedly left for a "better system" and has shat the bed & destroyed team cohesion in a previously winning team- we get it!!

You shat on Turuva's defence recently - but now back to Bula because of a bullshit news opinion piece!

Attend a game and meet Jahream personally before shitting on him online again!

If Keano Kini got 1 mil for half a season of highlights footy in a losing team , same for Galvin really , then Bula will get close to a mil . The only thing that may hold him back is the sheer depth at fullback in the modern game .
Even us with Turuva . If he played like that and Bula didn’t exist , we’d all have been anointing him as the next great fullback . And in generations gone by games like that would have been gushed over . Now because we are soo used to top fullback play in a post Billy Slater world , we take it for granted .
The 2 teams with the most drive to find a fullback will be the dogs and bears . I can’t see the dogs being able to fit him in there , unless that sombrero gets a modification , so that really leaves the bears . How keen players will be to go across the other side of Australia will be interesting to see . For every player willing to I think there will be another saying screw that . As beautiful as Perth is .
Sorry and the roosters . But I think Ponga will be there by 27 .

 

[tigahhh]

If Keano Kini got 1 mil for half a season of highlights footy in a losing team , same for Galvin really , then Bula will get close to a mil . The only thing that may hold him back is the sheer depth at fullback in the modern game .
Even us with Turuva . If he played like that and Bula didn’t exist , we’d all have been anointing him as the next great fullback . And in generations gone by games like that would have been gushed over . Now because we are soo used to top fullback play in a post Billy Slater world , we take it for granted .
The 2 teams with the most drive to find a fullback will be the dogs and bears . I can’t see the dogs being able to fit him in there , unless that sombrero gets a modification , so that really leaves the bears . How keen players will be to go across the other side of Australia will be interesting to see . For every player willing to I think there will be another saying screw that . As beautiful as Perth is .
Sorry and the roosters . But I think Ponga will be there by 27 .

only other one would be the sharks, kennedy has been off contract for a while now

 

[Lestronge]

I don’t like Moses as much as the next bloke but the great man @tigerballs is right.

the players love him because he gets them what they want, irrespective of how unethical it is. it’s on the NRL to properly police him.

Won’t happen because of all the people whose hands he’s greased along the way . Not to mention he’s somehow allowed to to manage non nrl players in their post playing careers , which just happen to be in positions within the nrls major broadcast partner .
Thats where the bullshit lies . How he’s able to manger Danika Mason , Cam smith etc .. whilst managing coaches , and players … it’s murky at best … borderline corrupt at its most accurate .

 

[Vicious]

only other one would be the sharks, kennedy has been off contract for a while now

Sharks obviously don’t want Kennedy.
Fitzy is a smart operator he will be looking for a fullback with plenty of x-factor.

 

[Lestronge]

only other one would be the sharks, kennedy has been off contract for a while now

Personally I think they’re interchangeable Kennedy and Bula . Kennedy is a victim of his halves deciding they’re off to Bali early this year . Trying hard , probably too hard .

 

[tigahhh]

Sharks obviously don’t want Kennedy.
Fitzy is a smart operator he will be looking for a fullback with plenty of x-factor.

ryan paps won’t be too far off my guess he’s on the dogs & sharks radars

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

All valid points, but results on the field are what matter most, we can’t continue missing the top 8 for too much longer.
UNLESS we make that elusive top 8 this year or next, further questions will need to be asked and aside from the coach our highest paid players and players in key positions are the ones most accountable.
When Bula returns from injury and we hopefully have a ful strength spine it will be his time to shine and be an important part in winning us games, no more excuses.

After watching Turuva from the sideline last game should be all the motivation he needs to raise to a new level, he knows that there is someone else in the team who can play fullback.

That should get the competitive blood flowing.

 

[BAGNF05]

After watching Turuva from the sideline last game should be all the motivation he needs to raise to a new level, he knows that there is someone else in the team who can play fullback.

That should get the competitive blood flowing.

The way Turuva played as another forward when players were getting tired should be a lesson to him as well.

 

[Vicious]

After watching Turuva from the sideline last game should be all the motivation he needs to raise to a new level, he knows that there is someone else in the team who can play fullback.

That should get the competitive blood flowing.

That’s why I say our results for the rest of this season are crucial and should tell us more about whether or not we have the basis of a successful team moving forward.

 

[bbobb]

I feel many of our future signings and re-signings may have clauses in them regarding Benji being coach - and that has its own problems if they go down that path.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

That’s why I say our results for the rest of this season are crucial and should tell us more about whether or not we have the basis of a successful team moving forward.

If we could just recruit some more punch in the forwards I would be a lot more confident for the future, missed for the remaining season by the look of it so feeling in limbo.

Have to get 3 more wins to show possibles we are improving you would think.

 

[Lestronge]

Sharks only don’t want Kennedy.
Fitzy is a smart operator he will be looking for a fullback with plenty of x-factor.

Says who …. Why is fitzy a smart operator ? He inherited a team that came up together that bomber built over a long time with flannagan . And after timing his takeover of the club with the peak years of his core players , what has he actually done with what many sharks fans consider to be thier generational squad . This squad was supposed to get them thier next premiership …. It’s been crickets .
Source ; I have family which is firmly entrenched in the shire and one of the big 3 clubs in Cro-Suth footy . They were talking about many of these kids 10 years ago when a family
Member was playing with them and his dad was running water for them .
Fitzy picked the right club at the right time to match his style . He’s also the guy who’s given AFB 1.1m a year and he looks a shell of himself , and Hynes 1.2mil . Hynes especially always had rap on him for being a chocolate footy player . Which sux to say to be honest , because I heard he’s a really good bloke , so I take no joy in saying that .

 

[BAGNF05]

If we could just recruit some more punch in the forwards I would be a lot more confident for the future, missed for the remaining season by the look of it so feeling in limbo.

Have to get 3 more wins to show possibles we are improving you would think.

Agree but it’s also about getting what we have to fire. It was only an under strength Roosters but we dominated the early exchanges last weekend. Pole was sensational. Seyfarth error free. May his usual high standard. Samuela 2024 form. That’s the standard these guys need to stay at to win more games.

 

[Jolls]

While the Bula $900K or not debate is interesting from the sideline the real issue has nothing to do with $. It is to do with setting us up to have a crack at the title. That is not going to happen without a settled and stable spine - just look back at the premiership winners over the last 20 years.

Benji and Richo have made a decision on the spine and how it is going to look. They need to make a decison now on Bula and once that decision is made (and I believe it has) then the $ aren't really an issue - it is about building the roster to make the most of the spine. If the $ to keep Bula are an issue in 27 we should let him go now and buy in who we want because in 27 we should be in the first year of the premiership window - changing the spine then pushes us back two years at least.

Going in to 26 we have decent depth across the park. What we lack is a couple of needle moving forwards as starters and, potentially, a strike centre (if May doesn't cut it).