Tom Shines
Well-known member
nice pivot
OFFICIAL Jahream Bula #269
- Thread starter TillLindemann
- Start date
nice pivot
mtd#2
Well-known member
Had a bit of a Benji shimmy too it ay?
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Settle down mate …you aren’t in that league 😂
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
This is important ...Clause out: The inside story on how the Tigers retained Jahream Bula
Adrian Proszenko
May 5, 2026 — 11:45am
AAA
For a man who never wanted to leave the club, few contract negotiations in NRL history have endured more false starts, or contained more subtext, than Jahream Bula’s four-year extension at Wests Tigers.
The joint-venture outfit on Tuesday confirmed the news this masthead broke over the weekend - that Bula would forgo an opportunity to test his market worth by opting to stay put. Significantly, the new deal has no get-out clauses, and will cost the Tigers less than $1 million per season, before ratchet clauses are factored in.
Jahream Bula will remain a Tiger long-term after protracted negotiations with the club. Getty Images
It’s a great result for the Tigers, one they felt they would be in a position to trumpet in November, before their boardroom bickering threatened to scupper it altogether. Since then, the club has been playing poker with Bula’s agent, Isaac Moses.
Much has been made about the options in Bula’s current contract; the Tigers had until May 15 to re-sign him at $900,000 for 2027. If that didn’t eventuate, Bula had until June 1 to trigger an option at $800,000 for next year. That deal was negotiated by Bula’s previous agent and, if triggered, meant his new manager Moses wouldn’t get a commission.
So to get paid, Moses had to negotiate a new, long-term extension. That gave the Tigers, who have had a difficult relationship with Moses for an extended period - including tension between the agent and coach Benji Marshall - some leverage.
Retaining Bula long term, was also in the Tigers’ best interests. If either party triggered an option, their fullback would be a free agent on November 1 and the speculation about his future, and the circus surrounding it, would again go into overdrive.
Staying put: Tigers fullback Jahream Bula has re-signed with the club. Getty Images
With the clock running down on the May 15 deadline, both parties had to hold their nerve. St George Illawarra, while coach Shane Flanagan was at the helm, were ready to make a big play for Bula if he hit the market. However, the Dragons parted company with Flanagan - who is also managed by Moses - and decided to go in another direction in signing Scott Drinkwater as their fullback from next year.
And then there’s the Bulldogs. Even after re-signing custodian Connor Tracey, speculation that Canterbury were interested in Bula wouldn’t go away. It was fuelled, in part, by Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould describing Bula as “creamy” in commentary for Nine, owners of this masthead.
“He’s just creamy, so fluid, beautiful, like apple pie on a Sunday,” Gould oozed.
Some pundits saw it as a ploy to woo Bula to Belmore. Given that “Gus” poached another Tigers star - and Moses client - in Lachlan Galvin after a sustained period of public praise, there were fears that history could be repeating. Reported sightings of Bula in Canterbury territory fuelled the conspiracy theorists. Was Canterbury’s interest genuine, or were the Tigers bidding against themselves?
Jarome Luai will exit the Tigers at the end of 2027.Getty Images
Negotiations continued as the deadline loomed. Another layer of complexity was added last week when Jarome Luai announced he would be leaving for PNG at the end of 2027. The prospect of losing Luai and Bula at the same time, two key members of the spine, would be a disaster for the Tigers. So it was in everyone’s best interests to get a Bula deal done.
Tigers recruiter Shannon Gallant had done most of the heavy lifting in negotiations, and when chief executive Shaun Mielekamp stepped in late last week, one of the most intriguing contract sagas in the modern game finally came to an end.
“What was really important in all of our conversations was what was best for Jahream,” Mielekamp said.
“It was about what was best for him as a player, as a person, for him to continue to develop his game under Benji, for him to be part of the culture of this club. They were the really genuine considerations.
Related Article
Done deal: Jahream Bula signs with Wests Tigers until end of 2030
“We’re talking about a player of faith, a player who believes in club values and has seen this club go through some pretty crazy times. Even for just Jahream’s own personal journey, he wanted to know this club is the real deal behind the scenes and not just smoke and mirrors. A big part of this is the values of the club, what we stand for and what we mean.”
When Luai announced his departure, it could have sparked the unravelling of the Tigers, just as they appeared on the way up. Since then, they have retained Terrell May, Taylan May and now Bula. It’s a reminder that, for all the remarkable storylines the NRL produces on the field, the most intriguing are those played off it.
The new deal has no get-out clauses, and will cost the Tigers less than $1 million per season, before ratchet clauses are factored in.
Will be important for the $$$ to extend Samuela, Latu, Makasini & Turuva.
mtd#2
Well-known member
Perfect time to negotiate with Samuela now that he is injured. Lock it in Eddy!!
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Very important
But others here claim they know otherwise…
Perhaps this bloke is wrong to … adds to the mystery
Tiger_Yoshi
Well-known member
I'm glad Bulla signed with us long term, of course...As I said b4, just relayed what I was told from someone whom I could trust...maybe "he" was right 3 months ago? and Bula changed his mind the last 8 weeks...idk..but I will surely be giving it to my source when I next talk to him!.
BrissieTiger67
Well-known member
Great news after a crap Sunday 😁
Read had zero idea he was guessing based on the Bulldogs rubbish. He didn’t say weeks ago it was the last show on Wednesday last week he said it.
I would say given what happened within days and the lengths that the club and players fully knew what was going on & expectations with it all waiting for Luai to be sorted before the structure of deals could be submitted formally to the NRL.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
And one just now from the SMH ( who broke news of the deal originally) that it’s “less than a million before ratchets”…
awesome... hope you're one is the right one.
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
Hopefully they’re not resting now. Samuela still needs to be locked up. Can’t let him get to November 1. Sign him, and Latu will fall like a domino.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Who knows at the end of the day…
If he got him under a million … you would have to say your man Shaun did a nice job though ?
Maybe your cousin should focus less on rumours and more on increasing the speed of his clients. Wasn’t Galvin with him over the pre-season?
yeah but i told him to slow him down lol
There is no transparency in all facets of players contracts...bar maybe rhe length
i assume they'll give the rest of Luias money to try and make makasini stay and upgrade him. along with samuela. that'll probably top us out at topping up the current crop with the extra $1.2M we had. guess they'll just run with AD, Bula, Api and then Haywood. And then have a little bit of money for a decent 5/8 - but not jarome money. maybe also tito needs another $200K up from $350K. and that i reckon will have dried up the xtra luai coin... not saying its bad. just probable
whether we can win a comp with that im not sure - i reckon next year is our best chance
whether we can win a comp with that im not sure - i reckon next year is our best chance
Supercoach has a lot to answer for...
Many now think theyre a player, an agent and head of football all rolled into one
Many now think theyre a player, an agent and head of football all rolled into one
Jedi_Tiger
Well-known member
Fabri also currently has
Turuva
Tedesco
Xerri
Bula
His cousin is doing well increasing the speed of those players....
