Jahream Bula #269

[TurnStyle]

Yes, he's my favourite player, but I just can't believe how people don't see how well he plays his role.

It feels like people have crazy unrealistic expectations on him being the type of fullback he just isn't.

No, he's not a 'hybrid 5/8th, Walsh type', fullback who takes over a game and turns it around.

And I don't think he has to be.

The tigers have Luai, Doueihi, Api as playmakers. Put Bula in some space at speed and no one is catching him.

He is safe under the high ball. He never shirks a hit up. He is excellent positionally and backs up well. He is often at dummy half because of this. He even has a great try assist in him.

Yes, easy straight after tonight's game to praise him.

He made a few errors last week, but I see him doing the work week in week out and it's so good to see him really stand out tonight.

 

[bigsiro]

Bula played very well tonight. Can’t fault him on that performance. Hope it continues.

 

[TurnStyle]

Bula played very well tonight. Can’t fault him on that performance. Hope it continues.

Me too after that wrap I gave him! 🤣

 

[weststigers]

Looking forward to analysis from @Vicious

 

[Vicious]

Looking forward to analysis from @Vicious

I said at halftime Bula was looking very sharp, keen to get involved and much better than he was in our first 2 games this season.
The question is does the Jock Madden style of play help and open up the game for a player like Bula as he certainly looked to have a bit more time and space to play tonight.
Tonight’s version of Bula is worth 800 - 900k per season, but we ideally want to see it on a regular basis before locking him in on that type of money long term.

 

[Milky]

Yes, he's my favourite player, but I just can't believe how people don't see how well he plays his role.

It feels like people have crazy unrealistic expectations on him being the type of fullback he just isn't.

No, he's not a 'hybrid 5/8th, Walsh type', fullback who takes over a game and turns it around.

And I don't think he has to be.

The tigers have Luai, Doueihi, Api as playmakers. Put Bula in some space at speed and no one is catching him.

He is safe under the high ball. He never shirks a hit up. He is excellent positionally and backs up well. He is often at dummy half because of this. He even has a great try assist in him.

Yes, easy straight after tonight's game to praise him.

He made a few errors last week, but I see him doing the work week in week out and it's so good to see him really stand out tonight.

I don’t doubt he’s good when he wants to be, I just don’t think he is 900k+ good

 

[weststigers]

I said at halftime Bula was looking very sharp, keen to get involved and much better than he was in our first 2 games this season.
The question is does the Jock Madden style of play help and open up the game for a player like Bula as he certainly looked to have a bit more time and space to play tonight.
Tonight’s version of Bula is worth 800 - 900k per season, but we ideally want to see it on a regular basis before locking him in on that type of money long term.

I get the thinking.

Set the bar. See if he reaches it....He does.

Then you raise the bar. Which is how you avoid being wrong.

Also how you avoid being satisfied.

Which feels less like a last chance and more like your subjective evaluation with no end date.

Both have their place.

 

[Vicious]

I get the thinking.

Set the bar. See if he reaches it....He does.

Then you raise the bar. Which is how you avoid being wrong.

Also how you avoid being satisfied.

Which feels less like a last chance and more like your subjective evaluation with no end date.

Both have their place.

See the above post from @Milky that should simplify it for you.
If Jahream signs a 5 year deal with us tomorrow for 900k per season I am ok with it, but if it’s any higher than that I am questioning whether we would be getting value for money spent.

 

[weststigers]

See the above post from @Milky that should simplify it for you.
If Jahream signs a 5 year deal with us tomorrow for 900k per season I am ok with it, but if it’s any higher than that I am questioning whether we would be getting value for money spent.

I like it.

A five-year deal… reviewed daily. Locked in long term. Evaluated hourly.

Banks should try this. See how far they get.

Fair enough though.

Five-year deal.
Five-year hesitation.

Consistency on both sides.

 

[innsaneink]

Yeah Maka not looking natural at centre and the poor kid is getting battered.

He was well and truly gassed late in the game
If it werent for the injuries id give him a breather in reggies for a week or two

 

[EllisFan]

As per usual Bula shines when the team around him play for each other. Important we keep this kid if possible.

 

[davey_farrell]

Wait for the next loss

haha gold

 

[davey_farrell]

He was well and truly gassed late in the game
If it werent for the injuries id give him a breather in reggies for a week or two

he was but he didnt stop trying the entire game. Lot to ask of a 18 year old playing first grade centre

 

[EllisFan]

He was well and truly gassed late in the game
If it werent for the injuries id give him a breather in reggies for a week or two

Thought Makasini’s defense in the second half was a highlight. Let the kid keep building confidence.

 

[TIGERS]

Bula bombed a 1st half try running with numbers on his left and the opposition Centre in the bin. Even Benji reacted to that one. It was a good run tho and he did go close.

The best part of his game (in possession) is that he's almost always johnny on the spot after a line break. But that's not elite.

But I honestly don't think it would be good for his development our our club for him to go to 900k. His efforts are decent/OK but they're not marquee, match changing, performances. Tim Moltzen was doing more at fullback in his day.

 

[crazycat]

My issue with the Laurie/Mbye comparison isn't memory - it's relevance. We never rated those guys, so they're a low bar. IMO the gap between Bula and the better fullbacks right now in overall play is bigger than the gap between Bula and that group. That's the concern.

No, Look Laurie was always a lower value Fullback.

Mbye was a 750k STAR from Canterbury!
I have no idea what on earth people were thinking.

And look, I'll take your word that his defensive positioning is solid - but that actually cuts both ways. If you believe that his defense is already a strength, then the ceiling debate is really about his attack, and that's where year 4 starts to matter. Walsh, Tedesco, even Hammer - by this stage their attacking influence was already settled. With Bula we are all still waiting for it to click consistently.

Bula doesn't seem right.

I don't think we can compare him with Mbye, Laurie or others we had in the past.
Bula is usually a try sniffer. He isn't a big passer. He normally should cross the line.
I think he has crossed once this year.

He's clearly a talented player and he looks like he should be great - nobody is denying that. But potential doesn't win games today and as Tigers fans we probably know better than most how dangerous it is to let expectations run ahead of reality. Hopefully year 4 is where it all clicks for him - genuinely. But until it does, measured expectations seem reasonable.

All the contract talk aside. Send Bula to reserve grade for a few weeks. Get him scoring again. He can score, but his current performance is crap. Get him scoring 3-4 tries a game in reserve grade and he will return to some kind of form.