Wests Tigers interim CEO Shaun Mielekamp has claimed Jahream Bula should re-sign with the embattled joint-venture club before the start of the 2026 NRL season.
Bula’s contract situation has been one under the microscope in recent times, with the star fullback holding a player option into 2027.
He is no guarantee to take it up, although most reports have suggested a new contract with the joint-venture is where things are heading, despite the’s club’s off-field issues and the fact Bula has now been able to negotiate with rival outfits for a month and a half, dating back to November 1.
Mielekamp acknowledged the difficulties in Bula’s dcontract on SEN Radio, but said all parties wanted Bula to stay, and a deal should be worked out before kick-off.
“I do think your words are wise there around it being a unique situation,” Mielekamp told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“But we do have a player who wants to stay. We’ve got a club who wants him to stay. We’ve got a coach who wants him to stay. So, you start there and you go, ‘right, things are gonna be okay’.
“It’s really just a matter of just working really closely with his agent and getting through what is the best model to make sure that we unlock this moving forward.
“It’s still a little early to actually definitively say how it’ll play out, but I’m very, very confident speaking to Jahream himself directly, and feeling really positive that everyone wants this to work.
“We just need to dot the I’s and cross the T’s and that’ll take care of itself before the season kicks off.”
It’s believed Bula could command close to seven figures when he does put pen to paper, while it’s unclear which other clubs have made contact with his agent Isaac Moses.
Bula’s re-signing will be a sigh of relief for the Tigers, and so too would Jarome Luai removing player options out of his contract, although that has been all but ruled out by the club.
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