Jahream Bula has made it crystal clear he's not going anywhere, pledging his loyalty to the Wests Tigers and brushing aside speculation that he might follow Lachlan Galvin out the door.
With his manager Isaac Moses at the centre of multiple player departures and ongoing tensions with club management, questions inevitably surfaced about Bula's future, but the 21-year-old fullback wants no part of the drama.
โOf course, but I don't really want to get into detail about that stuff,โ Bula said when asked by AAP about his contract situation.
โI love what I'm doing here and I'm focused on the week ahead and this season.โ
While Galvin has made his intentions known, turning down an apparent five-year extension and declaring his desire to move elsewhere, Bula is leaning the other way.
He's not interested in contract talk, despite being free to negotiate from November 1, and instead is doubling down on his belief in the Tigers' future.
โI'm enjoying it here, we're changing things around and I can see where this team's heading,โ he said.
โIt feels so much better and the whole vibe around this team is good. I'm enjoying myself.โ
The Tigers' recent uptick in form is likely the cause of Bula's optimism.
After three consecutive wooden spoons, the Tigers have already notched four wins from nine starts in 2025, matching their entire season tallies from each of the last two years.
Their golden point triumph over Cronulla marked more than just two points; it was evidence of a cultural shift.
โThe boys didn't give up,โ Bula said.
โNone of the boys dropped their heads. I feel like the past few years, like times when things got tough, a few of the boys would drop their heads. But this year is totally different, man.โ
At the heart of that difference is Jarome Luai.
The multiple premiership-winning five-eighth has injected confidence and belief into the squad, and Bula credits him as a key reason for the club's improved resilience and attacking spark.
โJarome brings a lot of confidence to the team. He is good at making the whole team better,โ Bula said.
That influence is showing in results. In the five games where the Tigers' full-strength spine (Bula, Galvin, Luai and Koroisau) have all started, they've won four.
While Galvin's future remains cloudy, Bula's intent is firm.
This unwavering commitment, coupled with the spine's early chemistry, is offering Wests fans something they've been starved of for far too long, and that's hope.
