SLOWLY but surely, Adam Henry is laying a claim for a regular starting spot in the Bulls team.

The New Zealander did not feature in the opening three games of the campaign, a legacy of end-of-season surgery on his hips.

It disrupted his pre-season but he is now fully fit and has underlined his value to Jimmy Lowes by scoring in the last two games against Workington while filling in at wing and centre.

"I had surgery to remove bone on both sides of my hips," explained the 23-year-old Kiwi.

"The surgeon said I had excess bone growing from when I was young. I had to get that looked at and shaved off because it was affecting my groin.

"It was a long surgery and I had it done in Manchester straight after the final game of the season at London Broncos last September. We played on the Saturday and I got it done in the Thursday.

"It disrupted my pre-season and Jimmy gave me a little bit more time off because I was on crutches for six weeks."

Henry has a fine pedigree, having played for the New Zealand Warriors and been part of their under-20s side which won the championship in 2011.

The former Junior Kiwi centre then made the switch to Sydney and played regularly for the Newton Jets in the New South Wales Cup before coming to the attention of the Bulls following a recommendation from ex-Bradford coach Brian Smith.

His debut season at Odsal last year saw him barely miss a game and he also weighed in with six tries.

An end-of-season trip to his homeland afforded him the time to reflect on an emotionally draining campaign which saw the Bulls enter administration and suffer relegation.

"I was able to go home and spend some time with my family, which was good after a long season," said Henry.

"At first I thought last season would just pass as I had never been through anything like that before. But looking back on it now, it was quite a tumultuous time for us.

"I think it has definitely made us stronger, certainly for the guys who were here last season. That's the main thing we've taken from it."

Henry's speed and strength have come to the fore in recent weeks, as his ability to play in the centres and on the wing. But which does he prefer?

He said: "I really don't have a preference about wing or centre – not at this moment. I'm just happy to play.

"It's been a bit of a rollercoaster for me with coming back from injury and being 18th man one game, slotting in on the wing and then eventually making my way to centre. I'm definitely enjoying it and am just trying to get myself more involved now.

"The competition in the squad is healthy and there are weeks when Etu (Uaisele) misses out, Chris (Ulugia) misses out and even JP (Jean-Philippe Baile). That's actually really good because it makes us train better and every one of us wants to cement our place in the team.

"As I missed quite a chunk of pre-season, the last few games I have been slowly getting my game fitness back. It's different to running up hills and doing shuttles – but I'm pretty much where I want to be now."

Henry lodges with Ulugia in Cleckheaton and he added: "Chris is a funny dude and we get on well.

"But everyone who has joined the club during the off-season has fitted in well with Jimmy's system. They have all trained the house down, especially Samir Tahraoui."