AAP
Former Canberra and Penrith centre Adrian Purtell says he was overwhelmed by the standing ovation he received on returning to competitive rugby league for Bradford 10 months after suffering a heart attack.
The 28-year-old came off the bench on Sunday to rapturous applause which briefly stopped the game against Hull KR at the 24-minute mark.
He then played out the rest of the match which the Bulls won 34-12.
"It was overwhelming to get that kind of reception, it makes you feel pretty good," Purtell told AAP.
"The support has been great since it (the heart attack) first happened and I'm just glad to get that game out of the way and hopefully carry on with business as usual now."
Purtell hadn't played since being taken ill in the aftermath of Bradford's defeat by Leeds in late May 2012.
He resumed training in November after being cleared of any permanent damage and last week he was given the go-ahead by a London specialist to return to action.
Purtell was straight back into Super League as visa restrictions meant he couldn't return with partner club Dewsbury.
He said his body dealt reasonably well with a few hard knocks considering he'd been out for so long.
"It seemed to cope with it alright," Purtell said.
"(But) I'll probably wake up a bit sore in the morning."
The centre, in the second year of a three-year contract with Bradford, admitted he was nervous before the game but once on the field quickly found his feet.
Purtell is off blood-thinning drugs but still has to take other medication.
Doctors will reassess the situation in May a year after his heart attack.
While it's only early in the season the Bulls are equal second on the table with nine points.
"The boys have had a great start to the year so you don't want to waste that," Purtell said.
"We want to keep building on the momentum."
Bradford made a dream start on Sunday when Jarrod Sammut and Keith Lulia created an overlap for Jamie Foster to cross near the corner flag after five minutes.
Four minutes later, following a mistake by Con Mika, Danny Addy's high kick was patted back by Elliot Kear for Brett Kearney to continue a run of scoring in every game with his ninth try of the season.
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