On Monday the Gold Coast SUNS and Essendon Football Club reached a deal that saw Adam Saad head south in return for a future second round pick. 

As his departure became official, Saad reached out to SUNS players, coaches and fans via a heartfelt Instagram post. 

"To the Suns fans, thank you all so much for your support. My journey would not be complete without the ongoing support from you guys," Saad wrote. 

"I love you all and I’m forever thankful."

Saad, a practicing Muslim and Multicultural Ambassador, specifically thanked the club for embracing his faith but said it was time to head home to be closer to his family. 

"Being a proud and practicing Muslim, I’m eternally grateful for all the players, coaching staff and especially the fans for welcoming and embracing my faith into the game I absolutely love," he wrote. 

"My family are my biggest supporters and over the last 3 years, being away from family has been my toughest challenge.

"In saying that, I know it’s my time to return home." 

The Gold Coast SUNS thank Saad for his contribution to the club over the past three years and wish him all the best in the future.  

A month ago I made a decision that has weighed heavily on my mind for the entire season, and that decision was to finally return home to Melbourne. Even though I love the Gold Coast Football Club and I am forever indebted to the club and coaching staff and all involved, for believing in me and ultimately giving me my first AFL opportunity and giving me the chance to live out my childhood dream, for always respecting and embracing my religious beliefs but more importantly for making the Gold Coast Football Club feel like home when times were tough and home was where I wanted to be most. My family and faith are my biggest priorities in life aside from Football and they’ve both played a large part when making the decision to return home. My family are my biggest supporters and over the last 3 years, being away from family has been my toughest challenge. In saying that, I know it’s my time to return home. Being a proud and practicing Muslim, I’m eternally grateful for all the players, coaching staff and especially the fans for welcoming and embracing my faith into the game I absolutely love. My time at the SUNS has seen me grow into a better player but more importantly I’ve grown into a better person. To my brothers who I pulled on the jumper with for 3 years, I thank you for making the start of my football journey absolutely memorable. To the Suns fans, thank you all so much for your support. My journey would not be complete without the ongoing support from you guys. I love you all and I’m forever thankful. To the future I'm excited to be with my family and friends again. But I can't wait to meet my teammates, coaches and staff at the Essendon football club and #donthesash in 2018. #gobombers

A post shared by Adam Saad (@asaad42) on Oct 16, 2017 at 2:45am PDT