AS a boyhood Bulls fan who spent his formative years at Odsal, helping Dewsbury dump Bradford out of the Challenge Cup was a moment to savour for Nathan Conroy.

The hooker joined the Bulls on scholarship terms as a 13-year-old before he progressed through the academy and made his Super League debut in a home win over Huddersfield in September 2013.

The following August, shortly after Jimmy Lowes had taken over, Conroy and fellow academy graduates Adam Brook, Alex Mellor and Sam Bates all signed contract extensions.

Of that quartet, only Mellor remains at Odsal, with Brook having moved to Keighley without making a first-team appearance and Conroy and Bates now at Dewsbury.

As he prepares to face the Bulls again on Sunday, 21-year-old Conroy said: “When I got the call-up for the recent Challenge Cup game, I was buzzing and just trying to prepare for it mentally.

“I had been looking forward to playing my old club ever since I moved to Dewsbury, so to get the win was fantastic.

“Bradford are a full-time side and we’re only part-time, but we can play like that when we pull together, especially in the big games.

“Personally, I thought I went really well to be honest.

“I hadn’t been at my best in the games before that, but that performance has helped me to kick on and I’m back in some good form.

“I know you want to play well in every game, but when it’s against your old club it means that little bit more.

“You give everything you can until you’re blue in the face. You want to beat them and show them what they are missing.”

There is not a hint of bitterness in Conroy’s voice as he reflects on why he was allowed to leave Bradford after just six first-team appearances and only two under Lowes.

But he is honest enough to admit: “I definitely would have liked to have played more last season.

“That was hard with Adam O’Brien playing so well and Jimmy having a philosophy of having an 80-minute hooker.

“But I didn’t really get a chance to show what I could do, so I had to move on to progress my career.”

Conroy played in Bradford’s win at Batley last March but that was it and he ended up joining Glenn Morrison’s men on loan before the move became permanent.

Yet Conroy is highly regarded in the game and he insisted: “Young players always need to be given a chance.

“It’s always good to have experienced heads around and you need to bring youngsters in at the right times.

“But I think the young lads can sometimes do better than the experienced players in some cases because they’re all fired up and ready to go.

“I believe Bradford should give their youngsters more chance to prove themselves.

“Sometimes I do think ‘what if I’ve got more opportunities?’ and I could have shown them what I’m capable of.

“But I’ve still got confidence in myself and feel that if I’d been given more game-time I could have shone through at Bradford.

“Dewsbury welcomed me with open arms and have given me some decent game-time, which showed as I got better and better every week.

“I grew up as a Bulls supporter and there is no bad blood between me and them – I just needed to move on to progress my career.

“Maybe if I’d played more games and been able to show what I can do, I’d still be there now.

“But sometimes you’ve got to take a step back to take a step forward.”

After leaving his life in Bradford behind him, Conroy now works as an apprentice builder and recently moved to Chapel Allerton in Leeds.

“Life’s good at the minute,” he added.

“I’ve just started working as an apprentice builder in Bradford and Denholme, which works well with my rugby commitments.

“I’d like to become a full-time rugby player again and if any opportunity came up, I’d take it with both hands if it was right for me.

“That said, I’m more than happy at Dewsbury and am really enjoying my rugby while learning a lot from Glenn. The lads are great too, so it’s a win-win situation.”

No club has become a home for ex-Bradford players quite like Dewsbury.

Morrison was a popular figure during his playing days at Odsal and his squad includes Conroy, Bates, Karl Pryce, Paul Sykes, Jason Crookes, Joel Farrell and Tony Tonks.

Conroy added: “We’re still gelling but we’ve put a very good squad together and we know that when we are fully firing, we can beat anyone in the Championship.

“We’re very confident we can finish in the top four come the end of the season.

“Yes, we have a lot of lads injured right now but sometimes you might have players come in and prove why they should be regulars, so it can work well for you.

“We’re always ready for the fight and we want the two points on Sunday.”