St Kilda lost to Geelong again last year, the ninth time in 10 meetings they couldn’t get across the line. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

PORT ADELAIDE v RICHMOND (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 4.05pm local time)
With 10 consecutive days of footy down, we are at the halfway point of the footy frenzy and what better way to kick off the next 10 days than with arguably the game of round 11 (though St Kilda and Geelong might have something to say about that), between the Power and Tigers. This is a top-four blockbuster between two sides who look destined for big finals campaigns. The Power have hit back well with consecutive wins against Melbourne and the Bulldogs after their loss to St Kilda in round eight raised a few questions over their top-four legitimacy. But Richmond has won five of its past six games – the last three thumping results over North Melbourne, the Doggies and flag fancy Brisbane. And considering they’ve done so while missing a host of key players, the Tigers are starting to get back that premiership look about them. Richmond will also take confidence from the fact that it has won three of its past four meetings with Port Adelaide, including two at Adelaide Oval – one of which was that famous round four clash last year while missing a massive chunk of stars (a bit like this time around).
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 18 points.

BRISBANE v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Gabba, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
Doesn’t this serve as a delightful second act on Saturday? A Brisbane side on the rebound after once again being humbled by its nemesis Richmond, up against a Bulldogs outfit desperate to stay in touch with the top eight and prove its worth as a finals contender after losing back-to-back games to top-four sides Port Adelaide and Richmond. On their day, the Dogs are one of the most dangerous teams in the competition, but too often this year they’ve failed the test against the contenders – of which Brisbane is most certainly one. While the Bulldogs have won five of their last six games against Brisbane, the Lions have won five of their past six meetings at the Gabba and if a 15th loss in a row to the Tigers doesn’t provide enough embarrassment and/or motivation for the Lions, this writer isn’t sure what will.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 32 points.

WEST COAST v CARLTON (Optus Stadium, Sunday 1.35pm local time)
The Blues have shown improvement this year, but they are way too patchy to pose any serious threat to the heavyweights of the competition when such teams are in form, and unfortunately for them they face the premiership favourite next. The wild momentum swings that Carlton has endured since David Teague took over as caretaker last year are forming an alarming trend – in his 20 games at the helm, his side has experienced a whopping 13 swings of at least 30 points. That’s not a sustainable game plan. The Eagles were tested by Geelong last week, but the abundant quality in their line-up simply willed them over the line, with Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy in particular, instrumental. West Coast has won its past five games against Carlton, and when you consider it has generated a score from 51 per cent of its inside 50s against the Blues since 2016 (which ranks it second in the AFL), it’s not hard to see why. The Eagles are priming themselves for another big tilt at a flag, and an unprecedented sixth consecutive victory against Carlton should be a formality.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 29 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 22 points.

MELBOURNE v NORTH MELBOURNE (Adelaide Oval, Sunday 6.10pm local time)
A huge collective sigh of relief exhaled from the Melbourne-supporting community on Wednesday when, after being tested for three quarters, their team eventually put the bottom-placed Crows to the sword. It served as a much-needed pressure release for the Demons’ under-fire footy department, with president Glen Bartlett having led the criticism. And, really, if the Dees are fair dinkum about possibly playing finals this year, their next assignment against the bottom-four Kangaroos is a non-negotiable. North has had a forgettable season, and its hefty injury list has only compounded things. Perhaps no player’s fortunes has mirrored the Kangaroos’ campaign more than those of struggling forward Ben Brown, who will be unavailable due to a knee injury. They’ll be hoping Nick Larkey (ankle) can replace him. Conversely, Melbourne is close to full strength and should regain Kysaiah Pickett (ankle) to replace Alex Neal-Bullen, who copped a four-game suspension. North has won 18 of its last 19 encounters with Melbourne in a stunning extended period of dominance going back 13 years, but Melbourne has the chance to even the ledger at 5-5 and should be too good. The battle between star rucks Max Gawn and Todd Goldstein promises to be a huge highlight.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 2 points.

ST KILDA v GEELONG (Gabba, Monday 6.10pm local time)
It’s been a decade since the Saints and the Cats dominated the footy landscape as simultaneous top-four threats – which speaks volumes of Geelong’s level of sustained consistency given it has hardly dropped down the ladder in that time, while St Kilda is only just beginning its re-emergence. Who could forget that famous meeting in 2009 at Docklands when both sides were 13-0? And here they are now, experiencing a case of deja vu in a coin-flip battle for the headline act with Port Adelaide-Richmond. What a match this promises to be – two of the most in-form and watchable teams in the AFL going head-to-head. There are mouth-watering potential match-ups all over the park such as Howard/Carlisle v Hawkins/Ratugolea, Taylor/Stewart v King/Membrey, and Dangerfield v Steele. The Saints’ meteoric rise to second spot on the ladder has been extremely impressive, with their mix of pace, flair and hard-nosed fundamentals proving effective. But there’s something about this Geelong team that makes it very hard to tip against. The Cats’ recent game against West Coast, while ultimately ending in narrow defeat, appeared to be the first significant indicator they are once again going to be a bona fide premiership contender in 2020. They were so well-drilled and organised against the flag favourite on enemy territory it was a performance of which many sides would have taken note. And with St Kilda having won only one of its last 10 outings against the Cats, history is on Geelong’s side as well.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 6 points.

FREMANTLE v HAWTHORN (Optus Stadium, Monday 6.40pm local time)
After an 0-4 start, the Dockers have won three of their last five games and rookie coach Justin Longmuir is clearly starting to build something meaningful on the field. Their last win against Collingwood, as gutsy as it was with so many players missing, wasn’t even their best performance of 2020 so far – that title belongs to their come-from-behind triumph over the Saints. The news gets better for them, too, with Jesse Hogan (calf), Stephen Hill (adductor) and James Aish (concussion) all chances to return. The Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak in style against Carlton last time out, and looked much better with Luke Breust, Jon Ceglar and Jarman Impey all back in the team, although Shaun Burgoyne (hamstring) is in some doubt this week. Despite Hawthorn’s spectacular 10-goal turnaround against the Blues, Fremantle at home with thousands of fans cheering it on has proven it is good enough to make it back-to-back wins.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 9 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 10 points.

ADELAIDE v COLLINGWOOD (Adelaide Oval, Tuesday 6.05pm local time)
This season cannot end quickly enough for the Crows. Their record worst start to a season was extended to 10 losses on Wednesday night, which makes their overall losing streak 13 games – they haven’t won in over a year now. It doesn’t get much grimmer than that. And with Richmond, Geelong, GWS, the Bulldogs, Collingwood, Hawthorn and Carlton to come, Adelaide could very well become the first team since 1964 (Fitzroy) to go through a season winless. The Magpies haven’t exactly been convincing in their past three games, and will likely be without Adam Treloar (hamstring), Isaac Quaynor (shin) and Will Hoskin-Elliott (knee) on top of Scott Pendlebury (quad), Jeremy Howe (knee) and Jordan De Goey (finger), who were already ruled out. But despite that, if they can’t make light work of the worst team in the competition, then serious questions will be raised.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 30 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 36 points.

GOLD COAST v ESSENDON (Metricon Stadium, Wednesday 7.10pm local time)
After a promising 4-1 start to the year, the wheels appear to be falling off Essendon’s season with three of its last four games ending in defeat to top-eight threats. The last of those losses was a dagger in the heart as the Bombers somehow coughed up a 29-point lead in the wet to GWS. Instead of sitting pretty in the top eight with a 6-3 record, the Dons find themselves fighting for finals survival at 5-4 and with a terrible percentage. And their next opponent is going to ensure another hard night at the office. The Suns have been quite impressive this year, and as their percentage of 101 shows, they’re a hard nut to crack these days. They may have lost their last three games, but they have been far from disgraced. A kick the other way against the Bulldogs and Saints, and the complexion of Gold Coast’s season would be looking a lot different right now. The Suns are pushing hard for their fifth win of the year and Essendon provides the perfect opponent against whom to achieve that milestone.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 2 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 56
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 60