Gun Wests Tigers fullback Jahream Bula has ended months of speculation about his future and agreed on a multimillion-dollar deal to remain at the club long term.
Bula is one of the game’s rising superstars and has been on the radar of a number of clubs, but this column has learned he has settled his future. An announcement is expected this week.
Just days after the club had to deal with the news that their spiritual leader Jarome Luai would join the PNG Chiefs from 2028, the Tigers have pulled off a significant coup by convincing their most exciting young player to commit to the club.
Tigers insiders say the deal will lock down the 24-year-old for several more years. It’s been described as a mega deal, and it shows great leadership by the Tigers, who have often been criticised as dysfunctional.
There had been fears Bula was heading for the exit because he was managed by Isaac Moses.
The conspiracy was that Moses wouldn’t sign him with the Tigers because of a strained relationship with coach Benji Marshall. But Moses has shown maturity and professionalism to do what he usually does – put his client first. The agent has also previously done a deal for Adam Doueihi at the Tigers.
The club has been keen to lock down Bula in light of misplaced hysteria around Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould showing interest in the fullback.
The Dogs have made no attempt to sign him, but the reaction to Gould’s praise for Bula during commentary for Nine was amusing to observe.
Gould’s description of Bula as “creamy” had some thinking Bula was being wooed by the Dogs in the way they perceived Lachlan Galvin had been.
And while Galvin did eventually leave the Tigers for the Bulldogs, in both instances there was nothing in Gould’s comments other than him being the brilliant TV commentator that he is.
The money freed up by Luai’s departure was helpful for the Tigers in retaining Bula. It has been a great comeback by club management, who also convinced Terrell and Taylan May to re-sign, after losing Luai.
Bizarre attempt to hijack Chiefs’ No.1 moment
Lost in the noise around Jarome Luai’s decision to join the PNG Chiefs is the bizarre situation surrounding the Chiefs’ pursuit of South Sydney winger Alex Johnston and the race to be the team’s No.1 signature.
In short, there was an attempt to hijack the “001 player” number and the historic moment of being the first Chief.
As the Chiefs put the finishing touches to Luai’s three-year, multimillion-dollar tax-free deal on Tuesday, it was suddenly revealed in News Corp publications that Johnston was the club’s first signing.
That was news to the Chiefs, who were growing increasingly confident they would land the prized coup of Luai as their marquee man that afternoon.
I reported that day that the deal with Johnston was not yet official. No contract had been issued, no contract had been signed. And as we sit here now, that remains the case. Will it get done? Of course.
But the way things played out left a sour taste in the mouths of Chiefs bosses, who felt deliberately undermined by Johnston’s agent, Clinton Schifcofske.
The Chiefs had long wanted Johnston, a PNG international and the NRL’s record tryscorer, to be their first signing. He was the first player they met seven weeks ago. They tabled him an offer before Willie Peters was appointed their inaugural coach.
The two parties were in negotiations for a couple of weeks on the terms of the deal. Johnston’s management wanted a two-year contract, but the Chiefs were only willing to offer him one year, given he will be 33 when the Chiefs enter the competition in 2028.
Almost four weeks ago, the Chiefs arrived at their final position, which was an offer of $250,000 – a sum similar to Johnston’s wage at South Sydney.
There seemed to be no urgency from Schifcofske to get the deal done – at least until images of Luai in Port Moresby went viral on Sunday afternoon.
Suddenly, there was a rush. By the time the Chiefs bosses landed in Sydney on Monday night, there was an email from Schifcofske informing them his client was willing to accept their offer, on the condition he was their No.1 signing.
Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas replied to Schifcofske early on Tuesday to inform him that was not the club’s intention, and they were on the verge of landing Luai’s signature.
The initial lack of urgency from the Johnston camp in trying to do a deal saw the new franchise shift their focus to Luai. It was reiterated to Schifcofske that the Chiefs were making plans to get Johnston to Port Moresby the following week to parade him as their No.2 signing and the first Papua New Guinean to sign for the club.
Four hours later, a report suddenly appeared in News Corp publications stating that Johnston had signed. The report trumpeted him as the club’s first signing. The Chiefs took that as direct sabotage and an attempt by Schifcofske to take attention away from the looming historic deal with Luai.
It’s sad, because the Chiefs always wanted Johnston as their No.1 signing. They didn’t want to disrespect him by denying a deal was done, but felt they were backed into a corner because of his manager’s actions.
The Chiefs then informed Schifcofske’s management company that they reserved the right to review their position, placing the deal in limbo.
This masthead understands Johnston and Chammas have since spoken directly, confirming they want to get a deal done. It will happen. Chammas knows how valuable Johnston will be for the club in a nation that adores him. It’s a shame the announcement was tarnished.
Schifcofske said he would speak about the situation only when Johnston’s signing was sealed.
PVL on Gus’s side over online abuse
NRL supremo Peter V’landys has backed Phil Gould’s call to ban club members and fans who are using social media platforms like Instagram to defame players. Gould told this column last week it was time to stop the practice, and he has support from the top.
“I 100 per cent agree with Gus that some social media crosses the line,” V’landys said. “It’s OK to be tribal but some of the vile, abhorrent and shameful content should not be tolerated.
“For example, I have seen incorrectly where high-profile rugby league identities have been reported as dying. It’s all made up.
“Those responsible should be held to account and be denied access to the game. We will seek out the offenders and get involved and take action because the use of social media to abuse and defame players in rugby league is a growing trend and we need to put a stop to it.
“People are doing it to gain followers and status. It’s just disgusting and hard to understand why they would do that.”
Gould has seen the impact it has on players at the Bulldogs and has had feedback from rival NRL clubs about the rise of so-called fans who rant to their followers about players they think are not performing on the field.
Respect due to Bellamy
Storm coach Craig Bellamy deserves the utmost respect and support as he faces a health battle.
The multiple grand final winning coach has been diagnosed with a form of neurodegenerative disorder after undergoing health tests. The club revealed the 66-year-old’s diagnosis in a statement on Thursday night.
An indication of the high regard in which Bellamy is held can be seen in the way media stayed quiet on the story before the Storm released their statement.
This column had been talking to Storm powerbrokers Matt Tripp and Frank Ponissi on how to handle the public side of Bellamy’s condition. We know at least one other journalist who was doing the same.
Foz gets his Eagles upgrade
Kieran Foran has secured an upgraded deal at the Sea Eagles after taking over as the interim head coach following Manly’s decision to axe Anthony Seibold three defeats into their campaign.
Foran started the year juggling his job as an assistant coach under Seibold while also working as a rugby league analyst with Fox Sports. Foran is no longer on Fox’s payroll after his elevation at Manly, which has seen him guide the club to four straight victories.
His manager Paul Sutton is in town this week to try and chat with Manly chief executive Jason King about the club legend landing the top job. The Sea Eagles are not rushing any deal as they know Foran is keen to take on the gig full-time.
Flanno in line for Fox recall
The word out of Fox Sports is that Shane Flanagan could find himself back in a commentary role following his axing by the Dragons. Flanagan was making a career out of broadcasting on Fox before jumping back into the head coaching arena in 2024.
He has maintained a relationship with Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley, and it is expected he will return sooner rather than later.
It will be interesting if Flanagan crosses paths with NRL 360 host and player agent Braith Anasta. There is no love lost between the pair after Lachlan Ilias’ stint at the Dragons caused a significant disconnect between the pair. Anasta manages Ilias, who Flanagan dropped early last year before the half left the club for the Titans.
The criticism of Flanagan spilled over into Anasta taking a crack at Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster, who is a Nine (the publisher of this masthead) board member, in a big way. Lancaster, though, had the last laugh when Anasta issued a public apology for the way he ripped into the Dragons chair. The apology was the result of a mediation session between the pair.
As a player, Anasta was often sensitive to criticism. His reaction to Lancaster, who said there were agendas in the media – without naming anyone – when announcing the club’s decision to part ways with Flanagan, indicates he is still inclined to react negatively to criticism.
The fact that his former NRL 360 desk buddy Paul Kent chose to highlight Anasta’s conflict of interest on his podcast, Kenty Blitz, shows just how bad the situation has become.
The latest observation by many in the game is how quiet Anasta has been around the less-than-stellar recent form shown by his client Cameron Munster. The Storm five-eighth has received minimal mention on his show during the club’s run of seven straight defeats.
Munster is one of this column’s favourite players and one of the things that is most refreshing about him is that he is his own biggest critic. He sets high standards and is sometimes too harsh on his own form, but it’s plain to see he is struggling to find his mojo. There is a whisper that he’s been carrying a leg injury and has been playing through the pain to help his battling side. He deserves credit for toughing it out in difficult circumstances.
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