PORT ADELAIDE welcomed back cult hero and favourite son John Butcher in Saturday’s victory over South Adelaide in the SANFL and he couldn’t be happier.

Butcher, who kicked a goal in his return game, had been playing in the Adelaide Plains League with Hamley Bridge and in country Victoria with his hometown club Maffra before the COVID-19 situation worsened.

Now back at Alberton, Butcher was ecstatic to return to the club that drafted him into the AFL at the end of 2009.

“It was a bloody good day, it was exciting to be back,” he told portadelaidefc.com.au

“It's an opportunity to sort of finish where I started over in SA, really playing a very small role.

“I thought it was great to have a win for the young boys, they were exceptional.”

Butcher has always been a warm favourite among the Port faithful, which first started by a bag of six goals in his second game against the Western Bulldogs in 2011 when the side was struggling.

Exactly 10 years later, Butcher would make his presence felt and the fans made him feel right at home in the win over the Panthers.

“The crowd was always great here at Alberton and earlier this year, the Magpies were in front most of the day down South and should've beaten them, so it's good to get one back over them,” he said.

“It was good and all the boys got around me, even my housemate Tom Clurey got around me from fullback [when I kicked that goal].

“It's obviously the club that gave me a chance in AFL footy and for them to give me an opportunity to come back, it's a bit of a weird one.

“I was meant to be flying back home for country footy. My old man was coaching and it was his last year, and I was planning to play with him for a send-off, and obviously COVID restricted that.

“I had a couple of games over here in the country and ended up back in the SANFL. It's strange but I loved every second of it.”

Butcher, who played 69 SANFL games for 118 goals for the club between 2010 and 2016, will hope to be back in the prison bars when Port Adelaide plays its final home and away game for the season against Glenelg next weekend after the SANFL split round.