Jahream Bula’s contract move will give fans a real insight into where the Wests Tigers are as a club

We’re all about to be educated on what the Tigers as an organisation have learned from the swift, polarising and recent exit of rising stars Lachan Galvin and Tallyn Da Silva.

Beaten coaches routinely walk into press conferences and talk about taking lessons from their losses.

The same can easily be said at the Wests Tigers, not just on the field, but around the recruitment table.

We’re all about to be educated on what the Tigers as an organisation have learned from the swift, polarising and recent exit of rising stars Lachan Galvin and Tallyn Da Silva.

Have the Tigers learned anything from the two key losses?

We shall see.

As critical now as the re-signing of 32-year-old hooker Api Koroisau is, heightened to levels of extreme following the questionable decision to let their no.1 back-up dummy-half Da Silva go to Parramatta immediately, an even more critical decision is looming large in the shape of their seriously talented fullback Jahream Bula.

The Tigers have a fight on their hands when it comes to retaining Jahream Bula. Picture: Getty Images

Officially, Bula is contracted to the Wests Tigers until the end of 2027. It seems a lifetime away.

Not quite.

In reality, the name of Bula should be on top of club CEO Shane Richardson’s whiteboard.

Richardson has to find a way to make sure this is a win, before we’re all talking about another Wests Tigers lesson.

And by that, Richardson must activate a clause in Bula’s contract today. Not tomorrow. Not next week.

Today.

For those that don’t know, Bula has just enough wiggle room in his current contract to get out 12-months earlier than the publicised expiry date at the end of 2027.

Bula’s contract includes a mutual option, originally included in the contract by his previous manager Liam Ayoub, before linking with player agent Isaac Moses late last year.

The mutual option works like this.

There is a club option that the Wests Tigers can exercise at any point and which would lock Bula in at the club for the 2027 season at a value believed to be worth $900,000.

Then, there is also a player option in the contract.

The player option for Bula is believed to be worth closer to $800,000 and can be taken up by the 23-year-old at any point, and importantly, even if the Tigers decide that they aren’t willing to trigger the club option.

One reason why the Tigers, or any club for that matter, may not activate the club option, is that they believe the player is no longer worth the value of the club option, in this case $900,000.

However, the risk of the Tigers not activating the club option, is that Bula can take himself to the open market from this November 1.

He is effectively a free-agent from November 1 and up until the point that either party activates their option.

What is important to note here, is that all the pressure is on the club.

There is really no advantage or sound reason for a player like Bula, with so much potential, to activate his player option now.

He may as well wait to see what the Tigers do first.

Other than wanting security of a contract for 2027, Bula can easily roll the dice on going to the open market on November 1 to garner interest from rival clubs.

Is it really a roll of the dice though?

Anyone who has watched the athletic and gifted talent play, both with his skill in attack and commitment in his last-ditch defence, understands that there would be a slew of clubs willing to make a play for him.

And so right now, the clock is ticking for the Wests Tigers.

The Galvin dilemma was a dog’s breakfast.

Now the game is about to watch Da Silva run out for Parramatta next weekend.

No matter which way you cut it, the Tigers are sitting here today having lost two of their most talented juniors.

If the club has learned anything at all from their losses, it’s that Bula will be at the Tigers in 2027.

Originally published as Jahream Bula’s contract move will give fans a real insight into where the Wests Tigers are as a club