Adrian Purtell is ready to prove that he’s worth a new deal at the Bulls now that his health fears are behind him.

The Aussie centre suffered a heart attack after Bradford’s 2012 Magic Weekend defeat against Leeds, which put his future in the game in doubt.

Purtell was then only given the green light to resume his playing career in December last year and did not begin full training until March.

He returned to the field after coming off the bench against Hull KR and now cannot wait to show what he’s made of ahead of a big year.

“It’s massive for me,” said Purtell, who arrived from Penrith Panthers in 2011.

“I only started in late December last year and I still wasn’t able to get into full contact until a lot later on.

“This year I’m going to have a full pre-season behind me and I’m really looking forward to working hard with the boys. I can’t wait.

“If I want to continue with my career, whether it’s here or wherever, I need to have that big year – but I just want to have a big year for the club anyway. Everyone wants to play in finals here and I really want to be a part of that.”

If uncertainty over his future on the field was not enough, like every other Bulls player, uncertainty off it has also been lingering in the back of Purtell’s mind.

But the former Canberra Raider is hoping those financial fears are finally behind the club.

He said: “For me, it was good to get away from it all. I went back home to spend some time with my friends and family, so I tried not to think about that too much.

“When you’re over here and you see it in the papers, it does play on your mind a bit.

“But at the moment that seems to be all put to bed and everything seems to be positive and I’m really grateful that the new owners are helping us out here at the training ground.

“Everything off the field is looking really positive at the moment and it’s up to us to work hard now that we’re back training and we can look forward to an important season.”