Geelong will need champion defender Tom Stewart to be at the peak of his powers against Gold Coast. Photo: AFL MEDIA

GOLD COAST v GEELONG (TIO Stadium, Thursday 7pm)
Are the Cats vulnerable? There’s certainly a slight whiff of that in the air after they began the season with seven consecutive wins. Now, off the back of two losses in a row, they head up to greasy, humid Darwin without their twin towers in attack Jeremy Cameron (concussion) and Tom Hawkins (managed), as well as veteran duo Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley who are also being managed. And let’s not forget, champion captain Patrick Dangerfield (hamstring) remains sidelined. However, they take on an unpredictable opponent whose last six games have gone loss-win. After all these years, the Suns are still failing to show that they at least can mix it with the best teams, with their last two losses disappointing efforts against Sydney and Brisbane. This will be an historic night, because after 2557 VFL/AFL matches, Geelong will play its first game in the Northern Territory. That fact alone throws a spanner in the works given how dominant the Suns have been in Darwin, winning their last five games there by an average of 46 points. It could be the factor that tips the scales in their favour.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 7 points.

SYDNEY v CARLTON (SCG, Friday 7:40pm)
The premiership favourite tag is a bit of a revolving door this year, but right now the Swans own it and they look pretty comfortable with it. Another clinical performance last week against Fremantle saw them open up a one-game gap atop the ladder and extend their winning streak to five games. There is barely a weakness on any line, and with the one and only Luke Parker still playing in the VFL well after his recovery from injury, it illustrates just how good a position Sydney is in. Although, it must be said, the Swans do look a little vulnerable down back this week with Tom McCartin (concussion) still missing up against Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow. Carlton was extremely impressive against Melbourne (for a half at least), but remains far too inconsistent within games. And with Adam Cerra (hamstring), Adam Saad (hamstring), Jack Martin (calf), Matt Cottrell (foot) and David Cuningham (calf) missing, and with Zac Williams (glute) and Marc Pittonet (finger) both under a cloud, there is too much grey area for the Blues to overcome against the hottest team in the league.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 23 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 18 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Sydney by 25 points.

COLLINGWOOD v ADELAIDE (MCG, Saturday 1:45pm)
Carlton’s old enemy Collingwood has also been smashed by the injury stick. The Magpies head into this game without Brody Mihocek (hamstring), Jeremy Howe (groin), Jamie Elliott (vascular), Beau McCreery (concussion) and Jack Bytel (concussion), while Jordan De Goey (groin), Tom Mitchell (appendix) and Harvey Harrison (ankle) are no certainties. It means that their forward line, at least, will look dramatically different for the second week in a row. But to their credit, last week they still had 10 individual goalkickers, registered their second-biggest score of the season and restricted West Coast to its lowest ever score against Collingwood. It just speaks to the depth the Pies have with the likes of Finlay Macrae, Joe Richards, Lachie Sullivan and Reef McInnes stepping up to the plate. But make no mistake, that depth will be tested this week. Collingwood might be in the top eight for the first time this season on the back of a six-game undefeated run, but Adelaide isn’t exactly in terrible form. The loss of emerging key defender Josh Worrell (fractured arm) is a big blow, but the Crows have seriously tested the Magpies in each of their last three meetings, losing them all by a combined total of just eight points. Another thriller won’t surprise this week.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 2 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 11 points.

GWS v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Giants Stadium, Saturday 4:35pm)
One of those early premiership favourites that handed the baton onto local rival Sydney, the Giants have not looked themselves recently and have tumbled out of the top four. Having now lost three of their last four games, and survived a massive scare against St Kilda just prior to that terrible run, GWS looks far from the juggernaut it appeared to be in the early stages of the season. The Bombers and Swans have shown in the past two weeks that if you’re able to apply serious pressure and close down space on their sublime ball users, the Giants can be taken down. But the question is, are the Bulldogs up to that big task? It goes without saying that they’ve been one of this season’s biggest disappointments, but with GWS captain Toby Greene struggling for form and Josh Kelly (calf) and Lachie Ash (calf) both joining Callum Brown (suspension) and Isaac Cumming (hamstring) on the sidelines for the Giants, the Dogs are a sniff. But whether that sniff is big enough to hand GWS its first loss at Giants Stadium for the year is another question.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 17 points.

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ST KILDA v FREMANTLE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7:30pm)
Like the Giants, it was a pretty big ask for the Dockers to front up and play on the weekend so soon after former teammate Cam McCarthy tragically passed away. They could be forgiven for not having their heads completely in the game. But this week will be a different story, and they should be good enough to account for a St Kilda side that is really struggling and being exposed for being ultra-defensive. Big Sean Darcy (calf) should return for the Dockers, and while they too have been guilty of struggling to post winning scores consistently this year, they have more capacity to do so than the Saints and, frankly, are a better team defensively as well.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 4 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 15 points.

BRISBANE v RICHMOND (Gabba, Saturday 7:30pm)
It looks as though the wheels have already fallen off at Tigerland and we’re not even halfway through the season yet. After being competitive for periods of most games this year, while only notching the one win, last week looked like the first real sign that Richmond’s energy and effort levels were spent in their annihilation at the hands of the Bulldogs. And while the Lions have had their fair share of issues this year, both on and off the field, the Gabba is hardly the ideal place for Richmond to try and lift itself up off the canvas. Unfortunately for them, another trampling appears to be incoming.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 44 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 30 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 45 points.

ESSENDON v NORTH MELBOURNE (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm)
But cheer up Richmond fans, things could always be worse. You could support the Kangaroos. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to this dark hole that North continues to plummet down. Another obliteration last round, this time inflicted by Gold Coast, saw the winless Kangaroos’ average losing margin increase to nine goals for the season. And there’s no respite in sight for Alastair Clarkson’s side because next they come up against the Bombers who are one of the hottest teams in the competition, fresh from toppling the Giants and riding its best undefeated streak in five years to rocket up to third on the ladder.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 52 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 38 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Essendon by 59 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v HAWTHORN (Adelaide Oval, Sunday 2:50pm)
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell would be rapt with the turnaround in form his charges have shown in the past month. For the first five games, it looked like the Hawks were headed for a similar season to what North is experiencing. But with three wins from their past four matches, they’re showing those promising signs they displayed last year and have displayed that once again they are no pushovers. However, this week is a tougher proposition for them with the Power fresh from one of their best wins in some time as they held off the surging Cats in Geelong. Hawthorn could be boosted by the returns of James Sicily (shoulder/ankle) and Mabior Chol (wrist), while Port Adelaide has a decision to make on whether it will bring Connor Rozee back into the side following his controversial hamstring aggravation against Adelaide a fortnight ago.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 29 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 32 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 35 points.

WEST COAST v MELBOURNE (Optus Stadium, Sunday 4:20pm)
After a much better showing in the previous five weeks, the Eagles revisited the horrendous form of the previous two years last round in an 11-goal demolition at the hands of the injury-hit Magpies. But there’s no doubt that the Eagles are a much better side at home this year, and while they probably aren’t good enough to quell the might of a team like Melbourne, they’ll back themselves to at least have a crack. And the potential returns of Elliot Yeo (groin) and Jake Waterman (concussion), arguably their two best players this year, would certainly help. However, they take on the Demons at a terrible time given they’re on the rebound of a second heartbreaking loss to Carlton in a row, and the Eagles look like the ideal targets to take those frustrations out on.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 40 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Melbourne by 37 points.

SEASON TOTALS
ROCO 51
RONNY 50
ROCKET 49

*all times are local