Port Adelaide’s victory over Geelong last year was only its second in the 16 previous clashes with the Cats. Photo: AFL MEDIA

SYDNEY v GWS (Optus Stadium, Thursday 6.10pm local time)
After 15 consecutive days of footy action, we’re heading down the home stretch of the 20-day footy frenzy, and in true 2020 fashion, the final chapter of the festival kicks off with a Sydney derby … in Perth! It’s hard to see how the 17th-placed Swans can possibly win this one. Having lost six of their last seven games, and contending with a sizeable injury list, it’s been a grind for the young and inexperienced team. And although they did give Collingwood a scare last time out, Sydney was flattered by the Magpies’ inaccuracy. GWS was far from convincing against Essendon, but the manner in which it snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after trailing by five goals was commendable and might provide the spark for its lacklustre 2020 campaign. As they say in the classics, sometimes you just have to win ugly. The Giants have a golden opportunity to consolidate their place in the top eight and should comfortably register an unprecedented fourth consecutive win against their “big brother”.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 28 points.

GEELONG v PORT ADELAIDE (Metricon Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
Former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse coined the phrase “blockbuster fatigue” once upon a time, and its use is quite apt for the Power right now who, after beating one premiership threat Richmond in the game of the year last round, now have to meet another flag fancy Geelong this round, in what promises to be another cracking encounter. Port Adelaide cast aside any lingering doubts over its top-four legitimacy with that victory over the Tigers and is going to provide a very stern test for the Cats. Ken Hinkley’s team is not only full of skill and pace, but it’s also a hard unit capable of applying enormous pressure to its opponent. Geelong, on the other hand, is one of the most well-drilled, organised and experienced teams in the competition, brimming with high football IQ. The manner in which it methodically picked apart the rampaging Saints last round was outstanding. St Kilda plays in a similar way to the Power, so the Cats will be well prepared, and although Port Adelaide has the advantage of an extra two days’ rest, Chris Scott’s side has the weapons to take out this top-three blockbuster.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 10 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v BRISBANE (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 2.35pm local time)
North fans, look away now. This could get very, very ugly. Outside of Adelaide, the Kangaroos are playing the worst footy in the competition at present. Granted, they’re missing a lot of players through injury, and were again hit hard against Melbourne last time out, but some of the skill execution they produced in round 11 was quite simply appalling. And unfortunately for them they are coming up against a Brisbane team brimming with confidence. Not only do the Lions mix it with the best teams, but they also salivate at the prospect of easy kills like this. The biggest win of the year so far belongs to Port Adelaide over Adelaide (75 points), but the Lions will give that a good shake this weekend as they chase three consecutive wins over North Melbourne for the first time in 16 years. Brisbane’s inaccuracy might be the only thing that saves the Kangaroos from an 80-point-plus loss.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 68 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 40 points.

MELBOURNE v COLLINGWOOD (Gabba, Saturday 5.10pm local time)
This match could end up being a season-defining clash for both clubs and it will go a long way to determining the final make-up of the top eight. The Demons (5-5) have comfortably navigated a pair of potential banana skin games against Adelaide and North Melbourne in the last few rounds, while the Magpies (6-4-1) had a bit more trouble disposing of the bottom-two Swans and Crows as they continue to battle a form slump without a whole host of their best players. That should be remedied somewhat with Darcy Moore (managed), Jamie Elliott (ear), Will Hoskin-Elliott (knee) and Ben Reid (managed) expected to be available, while a return by captain Scott Pendlebury (quad) isn’t out of the question, either. The Dees are pretty much at full strength, although skipper Max Gawn (back/knee) might not play. But with opposite number Brodie Grundy not in amazing form of late, Melbourne will back in rookie big man Luke Jackson against the All-Australian superstar. This game could go right down to the wire, and even though Melbourne has a couple of days’ extra rest on Collingwood, the Pies have won their last four against the Dees and should be able to continue that streak, especially if Pendlebury plays.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 6 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 2 points.

FREMANTLE v CARLTON (Optus Stadium, Saturday 6.10pm local time)
Something is definitely starting to build out west. No, not West Coast’s charge towards another flag, that’s already well-documented. While the Eagles are rightfully grabbing all the attention regarding the premiership race, their purple cousins are going about their resurgence in the shadows in a very workmanlike way under rookie coach Justin Longmuir. Since starting the season 0-4, the Dockers have been very impressive, winning four of their last six, including gutsy victories against top-eight threats St Kilda and Collingwood, and it’s been thanks largely to their young on-ball division featuring Adam Cerra, Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Sean Darcy. The future is bright. Freo’s backline/defensive structure is also starting to become quite solid – in three of their wins, they’ve restricted the opposition to less than 50 points. And they look set to be further boosted by the inclusions of Michael Walters (hamstring) and Jesse Hogan (calf). Carlton is a big momentum side that enjoys playing when the game is on its terms, but too often the Blues have shown they go to water when their opponents regain the ascendancy. Fremantle is definitely capable of stifling the Blues’ flair, and the loss of Jack Martin (calf) is a huge blow for David Teague’s side.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 6 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v ADELAIDE (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 1.05pm local time)
This season goes from bad to worse for the Crows, who are now 0-11 under new coach Matthew Nicks, with their overall losing streak now 14 games dating back to last year. Even in a match where they looked like half a sniff of victory, they still fell well short against a Collingwood side missing eight of its best players. So, what hope do they have against a Bulldogs team fighting desperately to stay in touch with the top eight? When the Doggies play badly, they play really bad, and their losses to St Kilda, Richmond, Port Adelaide and Brisbane this year suggest that they’re not top-four material in 2020. However, they’ve got more than enough quality in their side to dispose of Adelaide, which edges closer and closer towards the first winless season since Fitzroy in 1964.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 41 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 32 points.

ST KILDA v ESSENDON (Gabba, Sunday 3.35pm local time)
Well, the Bombers are clinging to their finals dream by a thread after a heart-stopping draw against the Suns on Wednesday night. The biggest issue confronting them is their inability to play four quarters during a game, with lengthy lapses costing them victory against the Giants and Gold Coast in the last couple of rounds. But they head into this game in ninth spot and with a pulse and should welcome back managed duo Michael Hurley and Sam Draper, while Cale Hooker (calf) and Jacob Townsend (concussion) will be in the mix as well. David Zaharakis (quad) will be ruled out though, which is a blow given he helped drag his team back into it against the Suns. The Saints should also welcome back some key players in rested duo Paddy Ryder and Zak Jones, as well as Seb Ross (calf), but Jade Gresham (back) is a massive out for them. The Saints looked like a team that needed a rest when they played Geelong, and with an extra couple of days on the Bombers, should return to winning ways.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 20 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 16 points.

WEST COAST v HAWTHORN (Optus Stadium, Sunday 4.10pm local time)
Complacency is the only thing that can get in the way of a big victory for West Coast here, and as it showed against Carlton last round, it is prone to switching off for an extended period. But when the Eagles finally got going against the Blues, the gulf in class was evident, and that should be apparent again when they take on the Hawks. Hawthorn’s victory over Carlton proved to be an outlier, because it returned to its drab, uncreative, static, inefficient ways against Fremantle as the Dockers’ young midfield totally monstered the Hawks’ more established big-name on-ball brigade. Heaven help Hawthorn’s midfielders when they come up against the likes of Elliot Yeo, Dom Sheed, Tim Kelly, Andrew Gaff, Luke Shuey and Nic Naitanui.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 49 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 20points.

RICHMOND v GOLD COAST (Gabba, Monday 7.10pm local time)
The Suns might not have won a game in four rounds, but how easily three of those contests could have ended up in victory for them – a pair of losses by less than a kick to the Bulldogs and St Kilda to go with a draw against the Bombers, which was a game they led by 22 points. But to their credit there’s no doubt they’re starting to develop a harder, grittier edge under Stuart Dew and the future does look bright. The fact they’re still just six points outside the eight with six rounds to go shows how far they’ve come in 2020. However, it would be a brave punter to suggest their faint finals dreams won’t take a massive hit this week as they come up against reigning premier Richmond on the rebound from an epic loss to Port Adelaide in round 11. It’s been six years since the Suns tasted victory against the Tigers, and that barren run will continue this week. Not only does Richmond head into this game on the back of a nine-day break, compared to Gold Coast’s five days, but it also finally gets some welcome news on the personnel front with Bachar Houli available after completing his quarantine, while captain Trent Cotchin should return after being managed.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 38 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 62
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 65