The dreaded second-year syndrome is not about to impact Jahream Bula – because the Wests Tigers young gun doesn’t know what it is.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall even asked if the long-held belief that rookie rugby league players struggle in their sophomore season had any basis in reality.
In their second full seasons, some of the best fullbacks in the league, such Reece Walsh, Tom Trbojevic, and James Tedesco, all had improved stat lines.
There was a lot of enthusiasm about what lay ahead in Tiger Town last year, and Bula was one of the few bright spots.
Bula, who is qualified to play for Queensland but hopes he could play for NSW, has even enlisted the assistance of the renowned Greg Inglis as his tutor.
Bula told this masthead, “As long as I have fun, that’s all that matters – as long as I do what I need to do for the team, I’ll be happy with that.”
“My confidence and my willingness to make mistakes are the only things I need to work on this year; if I do make a mistake, I can’t dwell on it.”
There was a reason, according to Marshall, why the team benched Bula until the end of 2027, and there had been no indications during the summer that he was suffering from a hangover from the previous season. The band-aid on his face on Thursday was caused by a shaving accident, which was the only scare.
When it comes to second-year syndrome, Marshall stated, “I don’t think it’s a thing.” “In my second season, I suffered an injury. I played a full season in 2005. In my opinion, it is not a thing. Jahream’s current location is ideal for us. It seems like simply talk.
As I’ve noted previously, Jahream is competitive in every play. Stopping them is more important than actually scoring the tries. He appears in every photo. He was as good at stopping 11 or 12 tries as he was at scoring them last year.
We signed him to a long-term contract because he is the kind of player you want to build the club around—that is, if he is willing to put in the work for his team and save attempts.
Although I’m not huge on size, he’s bigger. Whatever [weight] you feel strong and at ease enough to play at, that’s what I’m pleased with. It has nothing to do with your size. I can trust Jahream’s heart to hold enough.
The 22-year-old Bula expressed his satisfaction with Greg Inglis, his mentor, who was brought in to work with the budding talent. Bula, who is Indigenous and qualified to play for Queensland like Inglis, maintains that he would have like to play for NSW.
Bula was advised by Inglis to feel at ease declining requests for time off from individuals who would unavoidably approach him, particularly if his impressive performance persisted.
After having foot surgery in the off-season, John Bateman is still expected to play in the Tigers’ opening round game in round two (they have a bye in round one). Meanwhile, Adam Doueihi has advanced to sprinting in a different direction.
Doueihi stated, “Everything is on track for a return in the middle of the season.”
“Sports injuries are a part of it. Although it can be a cruel sport at times, I’ve had a bad run since making my debut, but it has only strengthened my body and mind.
Although Doueihi’s contract expires at the end of the year, the utility and the club are willing to put off any discussions about a deal until after he has fully recovered from his third ruptured ACL.
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