By Dan Walsh
As it stands, Bud Sullivan is due back at the Tigers at the end of this year.
“But end of the year, 12 months time or whatever? To be honest, I haven’t looked beyond tomorrow,” South Sydney’s latest recruit, and holder of the NRL’s strangest contract arrangement, says.
Sullivan was released from the final three seasons of his Tigers contract – worth $2.1 million – a week before Christmas to sign a one-year deal with the Rabbitohs.
His original Tigers contract has been cancelled, but he holds a 2026 and 2027 deal with the club that ensures he is not left out of pocket.
Tigers CEO Shane Richardson explained that “we just couldn’t afford to keep paying him” $700,000 as a back-up half once $6 million recruit Jarome Luai was signed.
Right now though, Sullivan is happy, healthy and preparing to represent his people for the first time.
Bud Sullivan will play for the Indigenous All Stars for the first time.Credit: Sam Mooy
“I can’t get ahead of myself thinking about next year or anything,” the first-time Indigenous All Stars representative says.
“I’m trying to be myself and work on who I am. And being in this camp is pretty important for that. I’m trying to find my identity and I want to put my name back where it belongs.
“Last year I wasn’t in the right headspace. I was a fake version of myself. I just wasn’t in it, I was in a rut. Things have been put into perspective for me, and I’ve put the work in this off-season. I’ve lost 11 kilos and I want to get after this year, make the most of this chance at Souths.
“I want to be back on the top shelf instead of sitting in the back shelf and letting life go past me, so I’m focusing on right here, right now, not what comes next.”
Bud Sullivan in Tigers colours.Credit: NRL Imagery
Sullivan insists he has no issue with the Tigers, Richardson or coach Benji Marshall, and is expecting big things from his old teammates in 2025.
But at 23 and having already navigated his share of hype, hoopla and hamstring issues, plugging away in reserve grade behind Luai, Lachlan Galvin and Latu Fainu hardly appealed.
Yet when opportunity came calling in mid-December, Sullivan almost let it pass him by. From the sounds of it, he earned himself a quick Wayne Bennett rebuke soon after.
“I was just sitting at home one night after training, an unknown number popped up,” Sullivan laughs. “I never usually answer them – why would you – but it was Wayne. Well, I thought someone was pranking me and didn’t believe him. I won’t reveal what he said then.
Maori All Stars winger Mawene Hiroti and Bud Sullivan share a traditional Maori greeting.Credit: Sam Mooy
“But we had a conversation and I hung up thinking, ‘Jeez, he believes in me’. I felt wanted and there was a stage where I didn’t feel wanted last year. Then the first week I got to Souths, I felt like I belonged.”
Indigenous leaders Jack Wighton and Cody Walker have gone out of their way to look after Sullivan in red and green. Walker especially “is not just the angry man you see on the footy field” any more to Sullivan, but the ultimate playmaking soundboard.
“He’s in my corner every time I train, giving me pointers, asking me how and why I did this or that, talking it through.
“And then how Walks holds himself off the field, too, he’s got a beautiful young family. He’s not just a football player, he’s a genuine human being with a lot of care for his friends and family.”
For his own mob, Sullivan’s appearance off the bench against the Maori All Stars on Saturday night will be as big as it gets.
The Port Kembla product has always called the nearby Coomaditchie Mission home and his father Jason is a legendary figure in South Coast rugby league.
Now approaching 50, Sullivan snr is limited to only a couple of games a year – “he can’t back up like he used to” – but he and his son have taken the field together in a handful of Koori Knockout games.
“Playing this game, it’ll mean everything to Dad and everyone back at home,” Sullivan says. “I’ve got all these messages of people telling me how proud they are of me. And now they’ve added me to a WhatsApp chat asking for tickets.”
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