SYDNEY defender Alex Johnson says he is confident he has "never been stronger or fitter" after returning to the field from a fifth knee reconstruction on Saturday.

Johnson played for Sydney's NEAFL side in Canberra, the 2012 premiership player's first game in 1736 days.

"It was a pretty emotional day on Saturday just being able to get out there finally after such a long journey in rehab and there were times where you question whether it's going to happen but I was just absolutely rapt to be running around playing the game I love again," Johnson said.

"I think for the first 10 minutes I was running around like a headless chook and I wasn't too sure what was going on and what I was meant to be doing. But I found my groove in the second quarter there and got a little bit more game time there and I found it reasonably easy to adapt to."

Johnson spent most of the game playing on a wing and finished with one goal.

"To get on the scoreboard was unbelievable and every bloke on the field came to me so it was a pretty special moment for me," he said.