How corporate life has Bullemor ready for finals football

"It gives you a bit of perspective," Bullemor told NRL.com. "Footy's a hard job but people there are working 12-hour days. 

"There are a lot of similarities, we're high-level sports people and they're high-level fund managers who are hardworking and driven. It solidifies the principles around routine, organisation and working hard. 

"You find those commonalities between high-performing individuals. It gives me perspective because sometimes you're just as tired, not necessarily physically but mentally. It gives you that perspective on how good we have it playing a game we love for a living."

If a career as a professional footballer and a part-time job at a major hedge fund aren't enough to keep him busy, Bullemor is also studying an MBA at UNSW, having completed a Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics at the University of Queensland last year. 

It's part of a growing trend among NRL players to pursue passions outside rugby league to maintain balance in their lives.

Not only is it good for their mental health, but it also helps prepare them for life after football. 

The NRL and RLPA have invested a significant amount of time in this area in recent years and last week celebrated the off-field achievements of players across both the men's and women's competitions.

Bullemor can see the direct relationship between his performances on the field and his life away from footy but said it's important for players to find balance to ensure they can thrive in all areas of their life. 

"It's really important to get that balance right and not leaning too far one way or the other," Bullemor said. "There's definitely an art to that, it's something I've invested work into getting right. 

"There are days I need to prioritise recovery because I need to be right for the game on the weekend. There's a lot to be said for having something outside football and for me personally it works. 

"I can be a bit of an overthinker and rugby league's pretty full on so it's good to be able to on your day off not just be staring at your wall stressing about what happened on the weekend or at training. I can go and do something productive and use my mind in another way."

Bullemer has developed into one of the unheralded names in Manly's charge to the NRL finals, adding a crucial impact off the bench on a weekly basis. 

The 24-year-old is in his third season with the club after moving down from Brisbane in 2022.

Having now played 81 NRL matches, the challenge is to take his game to another level in his first finals series.

While making an instant impact off the bench isn't easy, Bullemor is confident his time in the role throughout the season has him ready to swing Sunday's final in his team's favour.

"You come on and the game's already going," he said. "You've got to make sure you're ready to go from the get go when you're coming in. There's also a great upside to it, when you're coming in there are tired bodies and you can try and bring a bit of impact and leg speed to exploit that. 

"For me, it's about making sure I get my prep right so I know how to bring my best in that role."

Having run the sums on Manly's finals formula, the equation is simple. The Sea Eagles simply have to defeat Canterbury on Sunday afternoon to keep their season alive. 

It's one Bullemor is confident they have solved.