All eyes will be on Bradford Bulls’ Australian centre Adrian Purtell today as he prepares to make his comeback from a lay-off of almost 10 months.
Purtell has not played since he suffered a heart attack on the way home from the Bulls’ Magic Weekend defeat by Leeds Rhinos last May but he was this week given the all-clear by a specialist to resume his career.
He has been included in Francis Cummins’ 19-man squad for the home game against Hull KR and looks certain to feature off the bench. State of Mind will be watching and wishing Adrian all the very best as he resumes his career!
“It’s a positive, the fact that Adrian Purtell will be available.” Francis Cummins
Purtell has been unable to make his return with partner club Dewsbury because of visa restrictions, but Cummins says he has no qualms about bringing him straight back into Super League.
“If Adrian wasn’t ready – if there was any doubt about his heart – then I wouldn’t be putting him out there,” he said. “But the specialists have said to him, ‘You’ve got to forget that you’ve had the heart attack’, so it’s only down to match fitness for him now.”