ADRIAN Purtell admitted it felt "awesome" to captain the Bulls in Sunday's demolition of promotion rivals Featherstone.

The Aussie centre was handed the armband with regular skipper Chev Walker sidelined with a knee injury and he took his opportunity in style.

Purtell scored a fine individual try in the first half and also provided the passes for Chris Ulugia's brace in the 40-4 success.

Now in his fourth season at Odsal, Purtell's influence is already proving important as Jimmy Lowes' men seek an immediate return to Super League.

The 30-year-old said: "It was awesome to captain the side.

"Chev had a knee injury and Jimmy asked me during the week if I would like to lead the boys out, which was massive.

"It was a very proud moment for me in my career to captain this great club and this group of blokes. For us to then play like we did, it was unreal."

Purtell showed plenty of promising signs in the left channel alongside Ulugia, who laid down a marker for a regular spot with his clinical double.

But it was the Bulls' defensive solidity which laid the platform for their comprehensive win.

Purtell added: "It's my job to set up the winger and I'm happy if Chris scores plenty of tries this year. He played really well and showed why he should be in the team.

"We had a number of individuals who played well on Sunday, but as a team we worked hard in defence.

"We said if we defended hard and worked for each other, then we would win the game.

"This is a tough competition to play in and most teams have a big forward pack.

"Our forwards really stood up against Featherstone and that opened up the space out wide for us backs.

"But there is a lot of improvement from us to come, myself included, and I'm just excited about what's ahead for us."

The Bulls host Hunslet at Odsal on Sunday and Purtell is looking forward to another derby against the Hawks, who beat Dewsbury at the weekend.

He said: "I'm learning a lot about the history of the older derbies against the likes of Featherstone and Hunslet.

"Everyone is up for it when they play Bradford, so we've got to be up for the challenge and show that we're good enough to beat these teams."