Jahream Bula #269

[Jolls]

I dunno about your last paragraph . Gutho was never elite tier at fullback , but he had intangibles , and fit in with the culture that the eels were extremely competitive for many years . Same for heaps of teams .
As long as we produce quality in multiple positions especially in the halves , we can get away with a great fullback who isn’t elite, but fits in perfectly to the system we want to play and the team culture as a whole .

This season will answer a lot of questions about where our future is headed. I’m hopeful .

Exactly why I think we can afford to push him to perfrom with competition. While he has the ability and speed to swing either side of the ruck in attack and can be a weapon chasing the high ball his defensive positioning and effectiveness is not the best. I'm not saying he isn't good, or a good fit for us, but we don't need to bet the house on him yet.

Having Attard in the wings forces him to continue his developemnt or risk being overtaken and moved on. If he believes in himself he will rise to the challenge and continue to develop; if he has reached is ceiling we will be developing a replacement (touch wood) over the two years of the shorter contract (which is my preferred option).

This is a much better position for us to be in when we are next at the negotiating table with our two fullbacks.

 

[hank37w]

Has he reached his ceiling or is he just a slow learner, maybe we just don't know how to develop players.

Many will see these as controversial comments but I think they are valid questions that need to be asked.

2 years is my preferred option as well.

 

[magpies forever]

Agree with previous posters that 2 years extension is probably best. Gives time for proper assessment of Bula at a level where he now has a reasonable level of experience and whether the $$$ is worth it. If he wants more and more $$$, we have Attard in the ranks gaining experience and hopefully pushing for a spot.