ADRIAN Purtell has warned the Bulls they must seek to stop his close friend and Hull KR captain Terry Campese in the Challenge Cup on Sunday.

The pair progressed through the ranks together at Canberra Raiders and have remained big pals ever since, with Campese's close-season move to Rovers reuniting them in Yorkshire.

Campese has proved a resounding success since joining Chris Chester's men from the Raiders and recently signed a two-year contract extension.

Purtell, who had a spell at Penrith in between leaving Canberra and joining the Bulls, will be assessed ahead of the fifth-round cup showdown after picking up a knock against London last weekend.

The 30-year-old said: "Terry and I joined the Raiders at the same time in 2003, so I know a fair bit about him. I played all through the under-20s, reserve grade and first-team with Terry and his move to Hull KR has worked out really well.

"Off the field, he's a top bloke and a proper team man. He probably didn't finish on the best of terms at Canberra, which he would have deserved to do. But I'm just happy to see him settled here and his family are moving over soon too, which will great for Terry.

"I meet up with Terry once or twice a week at places such as Xscape – and James Donaldson still lives in Leeds, so I catch up with those boys regularly.

"It was sad to see Donno go but he wanted to play Super League and he's good enough to do that, so good luck to him because he's another top bloke."

Campese has acclimatised in style to life at Craven Park, forming a devastating half-back partnership with Albert Kelly. Other new recruits such as Kieran Dixon and Ken Sio have similarly impressed.

Purtell said: "Terry is playing really well at the moment and has always been a great talker and a great leader on the field. He was the captain at Canberra for a few years and the boys play for him because he's a great bloke off the field and quite assertive on it.

"Terry is a great organiser – and it's funny because his nickname when we were young was 'Punter' because he used to get out on the field and boot the ball so far. I still remember he kicked a massive 40-20 in the Grand Final in his first year in the reserve grade.

"He dovetails effectively with Albert Kelly, who is just a class player and can do something special. With Terry organising things, they work really well together."

Chester presided over a major overhaul during the winter but Rovers have already beaten Wigan, St Helens, Huddersfield, Catalan and bitter rivals Hull FC this season.

Purtell said: "They're going along nicely and we're going to have to be on our game to beat them. But there is no reason why we can't come away with the win and this is a great opportunity for us."