He made his début for the Canberra Raiders in round 1 2006 against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. In 2006, he was crowned the club's Rookie of the Year. During the season, he also re-signed with the club until the end of 2008. In round 6 of the 2007 NRL season, Purtell was shifted from the wing to the centres. Purtell took this opportunity with both hands, scoring two tries in his first match in the new position and showing consistent form after that match. Purtell was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in the middle of 2007. He missed the rest of the season as a result. This came at a cruel time for Purtell as he had only just cemented a spot in the centres. In his last game of 2007 he scored 3 tries against the St George Illawarra Dragons, including a 90-metre solo effort. After a long recovery Purtell made a successful return to rugby league. On 16 March 2008, Purtell completed his return by crossing over for 2 tries against the Newcastle Knights. Soon after he re-signed to stay with Canberra until the end of the 2011 season, rejecting an offer to join the Melbourne Storm. He ended the 2008 NRL season as top try-scorer for the Raiders. After being unable to maintain his position in the starting team for the second half of the 2009 season, Purtell was offered a release by Canberra.
Penrith Panthers
He joined the Penrith Panthers from the 2010 NRL season. In his first year at the club, Penrith finished second on the table but were eliminated from the finals series after losing both matches consecutively. The following year, Penrith finished a disappointing 12th on the table and missed out on the finals.
Bradford Bulls
It was announced that Purtell signed a 3-year contract with Super League team Bradford Bulls. 2012 - 2012 Season Purtell featured in two of the four pre-season friendlies. He played against Dewsbury Rams and Hull FC, Adrian scored a try against the Rams. Adrian featured in two consecutive games from Round 1 to Round 2. Purtell was injured for Rounds 3-6. He returned in Round 7. He was ill for Round 8. He once again returned and featured in four consecutive games from Round 9 to Round 12. He was injured for Rounds 13-14. He returned to feature in Round 15. Purtell also appeared in the Challenge Cup against Doncaster and Warrington Wolves. He scored against Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves. 2013 - 2013 Season Purtell missed the pre-season games against Dewsbury Rams and Leeds Rhinos due to the doctors not giving him permission to play until April. Due to the doctors orders he missed Rounds 1-6. He made his comeback and played in ten consecutive games from Round 7 to Round 16 however he missed Rounds 17-18 due to injury but returned to play in Round 19 to Round 25. Purtell also featured in the Challenge Cup against Rochdale Hornets and London Broncos. He scored against Leeds Rhinos, Salford City Reds, Warrington Wolves and Catalans Dragons. 2014 - 2014 Season Purtell featured in the pre-season games against Hull F.C. and Castleford Tigers. He scored against Hull F.C.. He featured in Round 1 to Round 21. Adrian also featured in Round 4 to the Quarter Final in the Challenge Cup. Purtell scored against Castleford Tigers, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Hull F.C., Salford Red Devils, Catalans Dragons, Warrington Wolves and St Helens R.F.C.. He signed a new 1 Year Deal with Bradford despite their relegation from Super League. 2015 - 2015 Season Purtell featured in the pre-season friendlies against Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos. He scored against Castleford Tigers. He featured in Round 1 to Round 4 then in Round 6 to Round 9. Purtell also played in Round 11 to Round 13 then in Round 22. Purtell played in Qualifier 1 to Qualifier 6. Adrian played in the £1 Million Game. He also featured in the Challenge Cup in Round 4. He scored against Whitehaven, Featherstone Rovers, Workington Town, Sheffield Eagles, Halifax, Dewsbury Rams, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Salford Red Devils and Widnes Vikings. 2016 - 2016 Season After the retirement of Chev Walker it was announced that Purtell would be the captain of the Bulls. He did not feature in any of the friendlies due to a minor injury. Purtell featured in Round 1 to Round 4 then in Round 9 to Round 11. He played in the Championship Shield Game 2 then in the Final. He scored against Leigh Centurions, Workington Town, Halifax and Sheffield Eagles.
London Broncos
2017 - 2017 Season Purtell signed to play for London Broncos in the 2017 season. Purtell featured in Round 1 to Round 7. He also featured in the Challenge Cup in Round 4. He scored against Hull Kingston Rovers and Rochdale Hornets.
Albury Thunder
Adrian Purtell returned to his hometown to play in Group Nine in 2018
Statistics
Season
Appearance
Tries
Goals
F/G
Points
2012 Bradford Bulls
10
2
0
0
8
2013 Bradford Bulls
19
5
0
0
20
2014 Bradford Bulls
24
11
0
0
44
2015 Bradford Bulls
26
16
0
0
64
2016 Bradford Bulls
9
4
0
0
16
Total
88
38
0
0
152
Heart Attack
On 27 May 2012, Adrian Purtell suffered a heart attack. Club medical staff were aware of Purtell's chest pains, and stopped many times for treatment, as the Bulls returned from their 37–22 loss to Leeds Rhinos. He was cleared to resume playing in April 2013.
