Things get willing between Carlton and Sydney during their last meeting in Round 11 last year at the SCG. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

CARLTON v SYDNEY (Marvel Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
It’s always a nice bonus when the match of the round kicks of the weekend’s footy festivities, and that’s exactly the situation we find ourselves in ahead of Round 10. This is a top-four blockbuster between two sides desperate to replace one (or two) of last year’s double-chance recipients, and the way they’re going at the moment, it would be brave to bet against their ambitions. But more immediately, this is a match that will decide which one of these two sides will finish the weekend inside the top four. And what a game it promises to be. The Blues have made their best start to a season since 1996 and have continued their momentum going impressively despite recent absences of key players such as Harry McKay, Jack Martin, Marc Pittonet and Mitch McGovern. Unfortunately, they add another name to that list in Zac Williams (calf) who won’t be seen again until the later stages of the season, but they do regain Lewis Young. The Swans put behind them a two-game skid with a thumping win over Essendon last week, but if they think they’re going enjoy a similarly meek opposition this round, they had better think again. The Blues, powered by one of the best midfields in the competition, have been a force to be reckoned with so far this year and at home in front of what should be a packed stadium, should fall over the line in a thriller.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 3 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 2 points.

GEELONG v PORT ADELAIDE (Kardinia Park, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
The Cats are really struggling for consistency this year. Just when they look like they’re back to the Geelong of recent years that regularly qualified for preliminary finals and made it to a grand final, they remind us again that they aren’t what they were once were. The most recent example of this came against St Kilda last weekend, and a blistering third quarter from the Saints that turned the contest on its head. And the Cats can’t even hang their hats on their home ground advantage anymore. They’ve now lost three of their last five games there, having won 41 of their previous 47 games at the ground. But they do get a boost in the form of the returning Jed Bews and Gary Rohan, who will play his first game for 2022 and reform the “three-headed monster” in attack with Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron. The Power have done an admirable job in turning their season around, winning their last four games after starting the year 0-5. Remarkably, a win here would draw them level with the Cats on 5-5. Port haven’t won at the stadium since the memorable Dom Cassisi game of 2007, their last seven games at the Cattery ending in defeat by an average of 47 points. And while that streak will probably extend to eight matches this weekend, with Tom Jonas and Trent Dumont back, the Power might just test Geelong more than what people expect.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 6 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v GOLD COAST (Ballarat, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
All of a sudden, this game becomes a must-watch contest. Who would have thought that would be the case three weeks ago? Yet again, the Suns are promising to finally break the funk that has plagued them throughout their existence and become a legitimate football team. Back-to-back wins over top-four aspirants Sydney (away) and Fremantle have the footy world asking for the umpteenth time, has Gold Coast arrived? Given the Suns’ history of falling away after numerous bright starts to a year, punters can be forgiven for being a little bit more cautious about buying in this time around. But they are level with the Bulldogs on four wins, making this a crunch clash for both sides as they aim to stay in touch with the top eight. And the recent history of both teams at this ground would further enthuse Stuart Dew’s men – the last time the Dogs played here they were done by a point by Adelaide, while the Suns’ last venture to the regional Victorian city ended in a one-point win over GWS last year. The Bulldogs did appear to be back somewhere near their best form last week against Collingwood, and while they should get the job done, you sense it won’t be easy.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 9 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 18 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v MELBOURNE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
If the Demons approach this game with the ruthless intensity that has come to define their current reign of the AFL, this could get extraordinarily ugly for the Kangaroos. Melbourne was in second gear last week when it dispatched another bottom-two side in West Coast by a lazy 74 points. Under the roof in Docklands in pristine conditions, there is a 100-point victory there for the taking. Put simply, North is going as badly as Melbourne is going beautifully. The Demons are chasing their first 10-0 start to a season since 1956, and are gunning for a 17th-straight victory. And while the Kangas do receive reinforcements with Hugh Greenwood, Jason Horne-Francis, Jy Simpkin and Tristan Xerri returning, it won’t be enough to save them from yet another hammering. They’d consider themselves lucky to avoid losing by a margin that exceeds the average of their last seven losses (63 points).
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 95 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 72 points.

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ADELAIDE v ST KILDA (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7pm local time)
It all started so well for the Crows who were 3-3 after six rounds. But reality has begun setting in in the past three weeks, with consecutive losses by an average of eight goals. And it doesn’t get any easier for them with another finals aspirant in St Kilda their next assignment. The Saints were magnificent in the way they ended their two-game losing stretch last week, running over the top of the Cats to improve to 6-3 and keep themselves a game outside the top four. And while they have suffered a double blow with the loss of key players Jack Steele (AC joint) and Jack Higgins (concussion) to injury, they seem to be mature enough to cope with such losses to their line-up, and having recently broken their Adelaide Oval hoodoo, should be a class above the developing Crows.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 16 points.

RICHMOND v ESSENDON (MCG, Saturday 7.30pm local time)
Essendon has been here before – the week after a smashing. It’s already happened four times this year. To the Bombers’ credit, they actually have responded relatively well each time, but it’s the jaw-dropping inconsistency in their effort and defensive pressure which sees them languishing in the bottom three with a 2-7 record. If the Dons serve up the same crap they did against the Swans last week, they probably will lose by the 100-point margin that they deserved to lose by at the SCG (only to be saved by Sydney’s inaccuracy). In reality, Ben Rutten’s men probably will put in a better showing, especially when you consider the intense scrutiny they’ve been under following Luke Parker’s taunting of Dylan Shiel which basically went unpunished by the Dons. At the moment Essendon is a reactionary and emotional kind of team, rather than a solid and monotonously consistent one. This week, the Bombers come up against a Richmond side that looks like it is becoming a finals contender once again, having won three games in a row for the first time since early 2021. The Tigers have owned the Bombers, winning their last 11 meetings, including the last seven Dreamtime at the ‘G encounters, and it’s hard to see that trend ending anytime soon.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 35 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 36 points.

GWS v WEST COAST (Giants Stadium, Sunday 2.10pm local time)
A new era begins at the Giants this week with former coach Leon Cameron having overseen his 193rd and final game last week after resigning from his post a few days earlier. In his stead, assistant coach Mark McVeigh will become the expansion club’s caretaker coach for the remainder of the season. In what is a credit to the stability that the Giants have enjoyed since entering the AFL 10 years ago, McVeigh becomes just their third coach. And you wouldn’t think he’s going to have a particularly tough day at the office this week up against the insipid Eagles who have lost their last five games by an average of 81 points. True, GWS has only won one more game than West Coast so far this year, but the Giants have so much more upside than the Eagles it’s not funny. With the shackles released following Cameron’s departure, GWS should have few issues in immediately delivering McVeigh his first win as coach.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 36 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 40 points.

HAWTHORN v BRISBANE (Launceston, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
The honeymoon is well and truly over for new Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell with his team having now lost their last four games. Granted, the Hawks have shown strong patches of form throughout that losing streak, but their inconsistency within games, a classic by-product of a young attacking team, has brought about their undoing every time. So it’s not hard to work out why old heads Tom Mitchell, Kyle Hartigan, Daniel Howe and Liam Shiels have all been named in their extended squad this week as well as the electrifying Changkuoth Jiath. And they’re going to need all the experience they can access this week, because opponents don’t get much tougher than the barnstorming Lions who sit second on the ladder with a magnificent 8-1 record. The Hawks did beat the Lions last time they met in Tasmania in Round 20 last season, but Brisbane is even more powerful 15 games on, even without Joe Daniher (shoulder) and Dan McStay (ankle) in the side.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 32 points.

FREMANTLE v COLLINGWOOD (Optus Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
Like Hawthorn, Collingwood also appears to be a team that has reached a fork in the road in its first season with its new coach Craig McRae. The Magpies started the season in impressive fashion, especially considering few expected them to be much of a force this year. But with five of their last seven matches ending in defeat, and their most recent loss to the Bulldogs doubling as a brutal lesson in contested football, the Pies’ wheels are threatening to fall off. So dysfunctional was Collingwood in attack last week that Mason Cox has been added to its extended squad this week. The Pies will also be boosted by the returns of Scott Pendlebury, Jamie Elliott and Jack Ginnivan. But they come up against an emerging premiership threat still licking its wounds after a stunning loss to the Suns on the Gold Coast. And the Dockers welcome back their own fair share of firepower in Matt Taberner, Sam Switkowski and Michael Walters. It would be staggering to see the second-placed Dockers drop a second game in a row, especially considering how brilliant their backline has been this year. It should make life very difficult for Collingwood to kick a winning score.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 28 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 24 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 55
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 56