From Adelaide to Western Bulldogs: Win or lose, here are the reasons for hope for all 18 AFL sides after round one

Before round one is the best time for an optimistic football fan — the best-case scenario is still possible and there's no concrete evidence to prove otherwise.

But with one week of AFL season 2022 now in the books, nine teams have lost — meaning half the competition is feeling disappointment. But it's never quite that simple.

Aside from 100-plus point thumpings, games are almost never complete write-offs and there is always something teams can take away for next week and the remainder of the season.

So whether it's a good quarter, a brilliant individual display, or an inspirational moment or two, there are reasons for fans of every AFL club to be optimistic.

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The silence at Adelaide Oval after Heath Chapman’s “best spoil ever” for Fremantle spoke volumes — Crows fans were devastated their team had not got over the line, in more ways than one.

But there were reasons to be upbeat despite the loss, starting with debutant Josh Rachele and his five-goal haul. Then there was Ben Keays, whose 37 disposals, eight inside 50s and 12 score involvements showed how crucial he will be to Adelaide’s attacking hopes this year.

Finally, the comeback from 25 points down at half-time to establish a solid lead showed the Crows are capable of the damaging extended bursts of football that will be so important in 2022.

When your opening game is at home against one of last year’s preliminary finalists, getting a win is enough to be going on with.

It was a struggle for much of the night at the Gabba, but the Lions kicked away with a five-goal-to-one final quarter.

There was a familiarity to the win, with Zac Bailey, Marcus Adams, Lachie Neale and Joe Daniher playing big roles — even if Daniher's