Adam Saad couldn’t have asked for a better debut in the red and black, but it is being back with his family that matters most.

After his father presented his new guernsey, the dashing half-back played a major role in Essendon’s stunning 12-point comeback win over Adelaide, keeping dangerous Crow Eddie Betts goalless in a terrific defensive display.

Saad described his whirlwind Bombers debut as “unbelievable” and was thrilled to have his family at his side.

“It’s been a long time coming. I really struggled being on the Gold Coast, being away from family,” Saad said.

“(It was a) special moment, a special day today and to cap it off with a win was just surreal.

“That’s the beauty of footy – you play games, you win and now you can see family.”

Saad’s father Zafir was just as thrilled to have Adam back in Melbourne, but admitted the experience of living interstate had also had a positive effect on his son.

“It’s very, very special. He came back to Melbourne from the Gold Coast and we’re very proud of him,” Zafir Saad said.

“I reckon sometimes it’s better to send them away and then come and bring them back, so they learn more.

“It’s great having him back here at home close to family and close to all of his relatives, it’s really good. And it makes him a better person and makes him probably play better football.”

The former Sun was shocked by the atmosphere at Etihad Stadium in the victory, having never played in front of a louder crowd.

“As I was telling some of the boys, it’s just unbelievable to get my first win in my first game and I just can’t believe how good the fans were,” he said.

“There were 43,000, it felt like there were 70,000 out there.”

Despite facing a 20-point deficit at three-quarter time, Saad said he was confident the side could chase down the Crows. 

“We’ve been training throughout the whole pre-season, so we wanted to finish off strongly in games.

“We always knew we had a lot of tickets in the bank in the last quarter and just used our ball movement and luckily enough we won.”

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Saad, but he put his determination on display in the dying stages of the match to take a mark deep in defence despite suffering from ongoing cramps.

“I started cramping towards the end of the third quarter, so I was hobbling on one leg.

“I just saw the ball, I marked it and I just tried kicking it as soon as the siren went. It was just a good feeling.”

Essendon now heads to Perth to take on Fremantle for its inaugural clash at Optus Stadium on Saturday afternoon.