BRADFORD is no substitute for Bondi; the Championship will never compare to the NRL.

But as Dane Nielsen prepares to make his debut this weekend, he might just prove to be the final piece in the Bulls' promotion jigsaw.

At 30, and after being sacked by St George Illawarra Dragons in May, the centre could have easily walked away from rugby league.

The circumstances surrounding his departure from the Dragons were curious, to say the least.

He was apparently involved in an incident at a Cronulla nightspot in March which led to allegations that he drunkenly bit a woman's leg. Nielsen's contract at St George was subsequently terminated.

He made just two NRL appearances for the Dragons and also played in their World Club Challenge win at Warrington in February.

After being thrown out by St George, Nielsen was offered the chance to play in Super League with Castleford. Instead, he headed back to his home town of Mackay in Queensland to help care for his ill mother and spend time with friends and family.

There were plans to shelve his career until next season. Then, last month, he was offered the chance to join the Bulls for the rest of 2015 and the 2016 campaign. He took it.

"My mum started to get a lot better and then the opportunity arose to come to Bradford," explained Nielsen.

"I'm really glad to come here and help the Bulls get back into Super League. More than anything, I'm eager and itching to play.

"I haven't played a lot of footie this year and I wouldn't have made the decision to come over if I wasn't fully committed to it.

"I've been keeping myself fit back in Queensland, so I'm ready to go this weekend. Getting my match fitness is the only thing for me now – but I know my body better than anyone else."

For all the controversy that Nielsen's departure from the Dragons created, his pedigree is not in doubt.

He made his first-grade debut for Cronulla in 2007 before joining Melbourne Storm the following year.

He went on to win both a World Club Challenge (2010) and NRL Premiership (2012) during his five-year tenure with the Storm before switching to New Zealand Warriors prior to the 2013 season.

His time with the Warriors was underwhelming but Nielsen has played over 100 NRL games and represented Queensland three times in State of Origin battles. That's not a record to be sniffed at.

Nielsen can still not say much about the darkest period of his career at St George and it is clear he feels he was harshly treated.

Yet his desire to prove himself at Bradford and help the club to promotion was evident when he gave several interviews in City Park on Monday afternoon.

Nielsen, an imposing figure at 6ft 2in, seemed genuinely happy to be here and spoke of "moving on" from his time at the Dragons.

Nicknamed 'Danger', he was reunited with a few familiar faces following his arrival in West Yorkshire.

"I played a bit of footie against the likes of (Epalahame) Lauaki and (Adrian) Purtell, and (Harry) Siejka was a team-mate at the Warriors," said Nielsen.

"I've been in touch with Harry and I'm staying with him at the moment. He's been really good and has helped me to settle in really quickly.

"All the fellas here, young and old, have been great with me and I'm attracted to the brand of rugby league in England.

"On my first day at training, I saw photos of the Bulls winning Challenge Cups and Grand Finals. That's great to see and it just makes you want to help the club get back to those days."

The Bulls hope that Nielsen's quality will provide the finishing touches to a side seeking an immediate return to the elite.

He prefers left centre and said: "The Super 8s is a great competition because every side is desperate to either go up or stay up.

"We've started well so far in beating Sheffield and I liked what I saw. (Lee) Gaskell and (Danny) Addy really impressed me – but all the boys did, to be fair, because they started with so much aggression.

"We're going to have to start like that against Wakefield on Saturday. We let a couple of soft tries in but we've done the video review and we know what we need to put right."

Nielsen was warmly received by the Odsal faithful before the Sheffield game and is guaranteed a rousing reception from the travelling army at Wakefield.

He said: "The games I've played in England previously have been great. If there are 10,000 fans in the stadium, then it can sound like 20,000. I can't wait for Saturday now."