Jahream Bulla, who once turned down an offer from the Gold Coast Titans to pursue a basketball career in the NBL, has made an instant impact on the NRL. The future of the West Tigers was being touted as one to watch by veteran coach Tim Sheens back in this year’s preseason.
Tim Sheens, Coaching Insider Round 11, speaks highly of Bulla, saying, “I mentioned him [Bulla] back in pre-season. The fact that he’s got to where he has at this stage is a bonus for us. I’ve been very happy with the way he’s prepared and the way he’s handled it.”
Bulla, who has had a pivotal impact in both of the West Tiger’s wins this season, almost didn’t join the NRL at all, instead, attempting to pursue an NBL or NBA dream. That was until he received a call from one of the NRL’s true greats, Greg Inglis. At the time Bulla was playing for the Logan Thunder, a feeder club for the NBL but then when Greg Inglis Koori knockout team the Wall Street Warriors were down a player. Inglis reached out to a young Bulla and the rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward, Bulla started this year as the starting fullback for the West Tigers and made an enormous impact in their two wins.
“He’s [Bulla] is doing a pretty good job,” Sheens said. “He has certainly won us the two games in real terms: the last five minutes of the game against Cleary [Nathan Cleary of the Penrith Panthers referring to the shock Tigers win in round nine, which they won eight points to 12 in Bathurst]; and in the corner there last weekend [referring to the Tiger’s win against St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL Magic round 10 in Brisbane]. He [Bulla] was brilliant. He just got there. How he got there, I don’t know, but he got there”
Being the highly decorated veteran that he is (three-time premiership winning, almost 700 first grade games coached in total) Sheens isn’t getting carried away or putting too much pressure on his young fullback, and still believes he can be even better than what he has shown:
“Now that they know about him, they’re going to start working on him and he’s got a lot of work to do yet in his game to be where we want him to be, but everyone’s talking about him and I still think there is more in him then what we have seen but I’m not asking him to do things just yet that’s beyond his ability.”
Sheens is also well prepared for such a young player to make mistakes, while remaining optimistic about his future potential.
When we asked Sheens if he is prepared for a young upcomer like Bulla to make mistakes, he confidently replied, “Oh you must. Older players are doing it too, so it’s a very high-pressure position to play, and [Bulla] is handling it well. Of course, with the lack of experience there will be issues here and there. I am not overly focused on that and I’m not pushing the kid to do anything he’s not capable [of doing] at the moment, but he will get more and more involved as he gets more and more games behind him”
The future looks bright for the young basketball convert turned West Tigers prodigy, and with the support of veteran coach Tim Sheens and the Tigers, the sky’s the limit for Jahream Bulla.
