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.
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.
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?
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.
“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.
