"Mate, love it!"
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With those words, injury-prone Swan Sam Naismith summarised what playing his first AFL game in 912 days was like.
In the match report on Sydney's website, the Gunnedah native was described as being "instrumental in the Swans smashing the Crows in the centre clearances", in a three-point win at Adelaide Oval on Saturday. The final score was 11.8 (74) to 11.5 (71).
It was the 206-centimetre ruckman's first match since Sydney's 2017 semi-final loss to Geelong.
Naismith, 27, missed the past two seasons due to an ACL rupture and related complications.
Post-match, the "great feeling" he felt playing again was referenced in the same interview in which he spoke about the "loneliness" and "isolation" of rehabilitation.
"I've been through a lot, and it's taken a lot to get me here," he told Swans TV. "But I love this footy club, and I love the boys involved [with it], everyone here.
"So, it's great to pull on the jumper again and get a win."
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Naismith described rehab as a "lonely time". "And watching the boys, week in, week out, play and not being a part of that, you feel a bit isolated," he said.
"So, just being able to pull on the jumper and dig in and fight for fellas ...
"I have a lot of respect for the group and for everyone who's worn the jumper. So, to be back part of it, it's a great feeling."
Naismith tried to "keep it basic" during the match, to counter the "head noise" of his comeback game.
"I was just trying to keep it simple. Get in there, hit a few blokes, get my hand on the footy, help the guys get the job done."
He said it was "huge" to start developing "synergy" with teammates he had not previously played with.
"This is a first step in 17 steps," he said, referring to the 17-round competition. "So, we're gonna get the job done."
Against Adelaide, the Swans held a 20-point lead when best-on-ground Isaac Heeney kicked his fourth major at the 15-minute mark of the final term. Tom Lynch and Chayce Jones then booted goals to keep the Crows in contention.
With 20 second remaining in the match, Crows forward Taylor Walker pulled a shot that would have secured the home side victory.
