After 12 months out of the game, Zac Smith had every right to be “pretty stuffed” after his return to football in Gold Coast’s comfortable win over St Kilda on Sunday.

Smith went straight in to the seniors following a year away from the AFL after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament midway through the 2013 season, but the 24-year-old showed why the club had such faith in him to immediately replace injured ruckman Tom Nicholls with a sterling effort against the Saints.

“I was really confident; I know I’ve done the training, I’ve done the work,” Smith said.

“I’ve been training really well the last couple of weeks, and the next thing was to tick it off in a game, and I got through, so it was really good.

“It’s been a long road but it’s been good to get back and have a win.”

Matching up against young Saint Billy Longer in the ruck, Smith was active around the ground and finished with 10 disposals and 29 hit outs.

The conditioning work the central Queenslander has put in over the past couple of months paid off in spades in his comeback, with Charlie Dixon barely used as a pinch hitter in the ruck.

The pace of the game took its toll towards the end of the match, but Smith reported no immediate issue with his knee when he spoke to SUNS TV, post-match.

“Obviously haven’t played in 12 moths, so started bit of cramping and stuff in the last quarter and that, but all in all, pretty good.”

Going back to last season, the GC SUNS have now won four of the last five games Smith has appeared in.