ESSENDON recruit Adam Saad is aiming to be part of September football for the first time in his career after launching pre-season training with the Bombers this week.

After making his way back to his home state in last month's NAB AFL Trade Period for family and cultural reasons, the former Gold Coast defender has hit the ground running with his new club.

The 23-year-old said he was excited by the prospect of playing finals football after Essendon returned to the September stage in 2017 for the first time in three years.  

"Seeing Essendon make a final this year, if we can have a really good pre-season and play finals next year it’s where I want to go," Saad told News Corp.

"To be able to play in a game like that with a big crowd would be so exciting. 

"Every player on an AFL list wants to win a premiership and at Essendon we are striving to do that. 

"We will work really hard this pre-season and hopefully we can make finals and give it a really good shake next year."

Saad shapes as a key player in the Bombers' quest for back-to-back finals series and their first September win since 2004, having lost their past four finals.

His recruitment – which was part of a fruitful off-season that also saw Jake Stringer and Devon Smith join the club – will see NAB AFL Rising Star Andy McGrath unleashed in the midfield.

After three seasons with Gold Coast, Saad said he was loving life as a Bomber and was aiming to emulate the premiership-winning feats of good friend Bachar Houli at his new club.  

"It would be a dream come true," said Saad, who was mentored by Houli as a junior player.

"I was watching it (the Grand Final) at home with my family and when Richmond got up I was pretty happy.

"I know Bachar pretty well, we are pretty close and I have tried to learn off him and feed off what he has been trying to do in the past 10 years."