Crows half-back Brodie Smith admitted to having a few nerves before his return match in the SANFL on Saturday, but they were quickly put at ease after some slick touches and glimpses of his trademark run and carry.

In his first game in 317 days after rupturing his ACL in last year’s Qualifying Final win over GWS, Smith had a team-high 25 disposals, eight marks and four inside 50s in Adelaide’s 16-point loss to Central District.

You couldn’t wipe the smile from Smith’s face after he got back to doing what he does best.

"It was good, I had a long time in rehab and to get the first one out of the way, get back to SANFL footy and play with a few of the guys on the list that I haven't had a chance to play footy with, I really enjoyed it,” Smith said.

"I blew up pretty early and blew up late again, so it was good to get that out of the way.

“Hopefully next week will be a bit smoother and get a bit more flow back into my game.”

It felt like Smith hadn’t missed a beat from the first bounce, getting involved with some early touches and at one stage, tucking the ball under his arm and dashing down the wing.

“That’s how I play so I had to try take the game on a bit, I think I got a bit carried away,” Smith said with a laugh.

“It was good to get out there and that was a bit of the excitement coming out.

“That is the sort of thing I want to get back, that run and carry and try and get that now at the SANFL level and take it up to the AFL boys and have an impact at that level.”

Smith didn’t have any hesitations about his body going into the game, knowing that he had done the work and ticked off everything required.

One of the largest ticks was being ‘cleaned up’ by skipper Taylor Walker in one of the training sessions and not having any issues with such a big hit.

“I was nervous, but not about my knee, I was just nervous about getting back out there and playing footy and having a kick again,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have played if I felt [hesitant]. I’ve done all the work, all the contact stuff at training.”

It was a perfect return, with Smith not only getting his touch back with the footy, but also hitting his fitness targets.

Towards the back end of the game, Smith stayed out on the field as long as he could, joking he at times tried to ignore the runner’s calls to get him back to the bench.

“GPS-wise, what we set out to achieve, was pretty much spot on,” Smith said.

“We hit all of the goals that we wanted to, so that was good from a fitness point of view.”

Next week, Smith is expected to play again for the SANFL Crows against North Adelaide, in order to continue to improve his fitness and to get another opportunity to pick up the flow of the game.

"I blew up a bit there, so I might need another one [in the SANFL], but the plan was always to get at least two under the belt, and then reassess from there,” he said.

“I’m happy to have another crack at it and then put my hand up."

Fans will be given a behind the scenes look at Smith’s return next Sunday, with a feature on The Crows Show at 11:30am on Channel 7 Adelaide.