FOOTY'S back. For Crows fans, the AFL premiership season begins tonight in Melbourne, with a new coach in Don Pyke, new players such as exciting teenager Wayne Milera, and new enthusiasm. For Port Adelaide supporters, a mission of redemption starts at Adelaide Oval tomorrow. 
For those who have loyalties to the other 16 teams in the national competition, many will believe this is the year for more cheers than tears. As AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has noted, 14 of the 18 teams have a genuine chance of making the final eight.
This is the beauty of a new football season. Every team starts at zero premiership points again and has to prove itself across 22 rounds - even Hawthorn, which is seeking an exalted place in the history books with four consecutive AFL flags.
Australian football seems bigger than ever, with the eagerness for "Australia's Game" reaching new heights. South Australia has not celebrated "the double" - both the Crows and Power reaching the finals - since 2007. There is reason to believe this will change this season.
The Crows showed extraordinary resilience amid unprecedented challenges last year when they lost coach Phil Walsh in   July. Season 2016 is just about football. They have a determined and focused coach in Pyke, and some of the game's finest players - Daniel Talia in defence, Rory Sloane in the midfield, and Taylor Walker and Eddie Betts in attack.
Port Adelaide slipped last season when Ken Hinkley's team could not handle high expectations. But the lessons have been taken in and ambition is riding high, with a proud group of players led by Travis Boak. The arrival of Gold Coast giant forward Charlie Dixon makes the Power more imposing.
Beyond this elite competition, there will be "pure football" across suburbia with the SANFL competition, and across the state with the amateur and country competitions that form the vital grassroots of the game.
It is a big part of Australian life. And many Australians are pleased to know that the footy's back.Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by The Editor, Sam Weir, 31 Waymouth St, Adelaide, SA, 5000