Adam Henry says he cannot wait to begin life as a Bulls player as he prepares to head to England for the first time.

The 22-year-old centre has signed from Sydney Roosters and has spoken of his desire to continue the Bulls’ tradition of great New Zealanders.

Henry was recommended to Francis Cummins by former Bradford coach Brian Smith and is keen to make his mark in Super League, having prospered with the Newtown Jets, the Roosters’ reserve team.

Auckland-born Henry, who is aiming to arrive in the UK shortly, said: “I've always known Bradford to be a club most Kiwis are familiar with because of all the great players who have played there.

“You had Henry and Robbie Paul, Joe Vagana, Shontayne Hape and other great overseas stars such as Lesley Vainikolo.

“The era in which those players played in were years I watched the Bulls and they were an absolute powerhouse!

“I grew up in Three Kings in Auckland and have a big family with three sisters, two brothers and two nieces.

“My manager actually got in touch with Smithy and told him about Bradford being a possible option for me. We all thought it would be best for me career-wise and I honestly cannot wait.”

Henry played for the New Zealand Warriors and was part of their Under-20s side which won the championship in 2011, with him scoring a try in a dramatic 31-30 Grand Final win over North Queensland Cowboys.

He then made the switch to Sydney and played regularly for the Jets in the New South Wales Cup before coming to the attention of the Bulls.

Henry explained: “I had a lot of fun at Newtown, made a lot of good friends and met a lot of great people.

“The success we’ve had over the past two seasons there has been awesome, which did make it hard to leave, but the Jets will always be special to me.

“I know that the style of play in Super League is a lot different to the NRL with more space to run, so us backs love that. I’m always willing to put in work and earn the respect of my team-mates first, so I think that will definitely show confidence in itself.

“I’ve never visited any other place in the world other than Australia so I’m looking forward to the experience England will give.

“I don’t know too much about the Bradford area but I’m really looking forward to finding out.

“I’m moving over here on my own but it doesn’t worry me too much because I lived in Sydney by myself for about a year.

“I know the likes of Manase Manuokafoa and Adrian Purtell and indeed pretty much all the players with NRL experience.”

Henry could be viewed as a straight replacement for Keith Lulia, who has returned to the NRL with Wests Tigers.

He said: “I’m sure a lot of players are looking to put their hands up to replace Keith’s centre spot.

“I’m just looking at putting in the hard yards and earning whatever spot Franny thinks I should play.

“Greg Inglis has always been someone who I admire as a player, just raw strength and skill.

“I really like the way Jamie Lyon plays too, his vision and skill set is amazing. But I’m my own person and that’s what I aim to show Franny and the Bradford supporters.”