Sydney superstar Lance Franklin pressured by St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie in Round 15 last year. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

SYDNEY v ST KILDA (SCG, Thursday 7.10pm local time)
Round 13 kicks off in epic style as one of the VFL/AFL’s all-time greats Lance Franklin becomes just the 22nd player in league history to reach 350 games and only the fourth Indigenous player to achieve the milestone. But will the enormous celebration be enough to inspire the Swans to victory? That remains to be seen. While John Longmire’s men were impressive in their last outing by running over the top of Carlton, they had lost four of their previous five, and the one win in that stretch was courtesy of a late North Melbourne interchange infringement – hardly a sparkling formline. However, the Saints are also experiencing a bit of a slump after starting the season all guns blazing under new/returning coach Ross Lyon. Since winning their first four games, St Kilda has gone “loss-win” over the last seven rounds, and its most recent performance was arguably its most disappointing display of 2023 as it blew a 20-point lead in the final term to lose to struggling Hawthorn. But in some good news for the Saints, they regain emerging stars Mitch Owens and Marcus Windhager for this crucial clash as they try and stay in touch with the top four. Sydney’s backline will be bolstered by the return of Dane Rampe, but the loss of the brilliant Luke Parker (suspension) from the midfield is a hammer blow, and could almost singlehandedly sway the result in St Kilda’s favour.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 14 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Sydney by 5 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v PORT ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
After quietly going about their business putting together one of the stronger campaigns for the year, all of a sudden the Western Bulldogs are at risk of slipping outside the top eight on the back of consecutive losses. It’s another example of how the slightest slip-up can be extremely costly in what is such a tight competition. And their task of avoiding three defeats on the trot won’t be easy as they come up against one of the league’s hottest teams in Port Adelaide, fresh from setting a new club record of nine wins in a row. And weren’t the Power utterly scintillating last week? They might’ve only been playing Hawthorn, but to crack the ton at half-time was a throwback to the halcyon high-scoring days of the 80s and 90s. Make no mistake, the Dogs are capable of winning this one – after all, they didn’t win seven of their first 10 games by accident. However, their goalkicking has become a massive issue and on just four occasions this year they have kicked more goals than behinds. Meanwhile, they’re looking decidedly slower off half-back on paper with Ed Richards (hamstring) joining Jason Johannisen (hamstring) on the sidelines. It’s only been eight weeks since these two sides last met, and on that occasion Luke Beveridge’s side led at three-quarter time at Adelaide Oval before being overrun. This time they’re at home. Port Adelaide has been sensational this year, it’s 4-1 on the road and could even regain Travis Boak (ribs), Charlie Dixon (quad) and Tom Jonas this week, but surely they’ve got to lose at some stage? The Bulldogs’ vaunted midfield was stung last week against Geelong’s decimated on-ball division, and will surely be keen to teach their brilliant upstart Power contemporaries a lesson. It might seem counterintuitive given both sides’ recent formlines, but a strong response from the Dogs would come as no surprise.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 22 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 21 points.

HAWTHORN v BRISBANE (MCG, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
In the space of two weeks we have seen the very best and the very worst of the lowly Hawks. Just seven days after upsetting early-season bolter St Kilda, they had their pants pulled down by the Power as they trailed by 96 points early in the second half before losing by a less embarrassing margin of 55. And they now come up against premiership contender Brisbane fresh off the bye and still brooding over its disappointing performance against the Crows a week earlier, which snapped its seven-game winning streak. The Lions haven’t been spectacular on the road this year (3-3), but this is their first of only two home-and-away games at the MCG for the season, and must make the most of every chance they get of playing at the home of football if they want to make a serious run towards a premiership. With their backline set to be boosted by the returns of Jack Payne and Noah Answerth from concussion, the Lions should have few issues overcoming the Hawks.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 40 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 23 points.

ADELAIDE v WEST COAST (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 4.05pm local time)
Credit to the hapless Eagles who have at least shown some fight in their last two games against Essendon and Collingwood, despite losing both by an average of 57 points. However, Murphy’s Law continues to play havoc with them disproportionately, compared to the rest of the league. Their injury list seems to grow week on week, and so it is the case this week with Tom Barrass (hip), Shannon Hurn (hamstring), Connor West (knee) and Elijah Hewett (concussion) all unavailable. Luke Shuey (ankle/hamstring) and Jack Darling (arm) might return, but it won’t be enough to trouble an Adelaide team that is a different side when it plays at home, even if it will be missing key backman Tom Doedee (knee).
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 52 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 42 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 37 points.

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FREMANTLE v RICHMOND (Optus Stadium, Saturday 5.25pm local time)
It took them a while to get going, but the Dockers are finally showing why so many predicted them to make the finals this year. A bumper month has seen them win four games in a row, including taking the scalps of heavyweights Geelong and Melbourne. Their pace and ability to open up the ground have been key reasons behind their resurgence, as has the return to form of boom recruit Luke Jackson whose influence is sure to grow even more now that fellow ruckman Sean Darcy (hamstring) has been sidelined. Freo have also lost smooth-moving midfielder Jaeger O’Meara (suspension), but revitalised small forward Michael Walters (calf) is a strong chance of returning. The Tigers showed that there is life left in them yet in the post-Damien Hardwick era after they beat GWS in a thriller last week. Jack Riewoldt wound the clock back with five goals, but up against a backline featuring the likes of Brennan Cox, Alex Pearce and Luke Ryan, the champion Richmond spearhead won’t find it as easy. The Dockers’ tails are up right now and while the Tigers won’t be pushovers, they’ll be hard pressed to repeat their heroics from last week.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 17 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v GWS (Blundstone Arena, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
The Kangaroos are coming. They might not win this week, or the next, but a third win is not far away for this mob. Ever since coach Alastair Clarkson stepped aside from his job to focus on his mental and physical health, as the pressure of the Hawthorn racism investigation took its toll on him, North seems to be enjoying a new lease of life under caretaker coach Brett Ratten. In their past three games against Sydney, Collingwood and Essendon, the Kangaroos have been playing with enthusiasm and a ferocious attack on the ball which, on two occasions, almost got them wins against the Swans and Bombers. Well, this week could very well be the week when they break through and snap their 10-game losing streak. There’s no mistaking the renewed hunger that North is playing with. It is desperate for a win, and against a GWS line-up, which has been unreliable at the best of times this year, this looms as a golden opportunity. Jy Simpkin and Hugh Greenwood have entered concussion protocols, and are big losses to North’s midfield, but the Roos showed they can manage without them in their narrow loss to Essendon as the likes of George Wardlaw and Will Phillips starred. GWS should regain Nick Haynes (concussion), but lose damaging small forward Brent Daniels (hamstring). This has “banana skin” written all over it for the men in orange.
RONNY’S TIP: North Melbourne by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: GWS by 23 points.

CARLTON v ESSENDON (MCG, Sunday 7.15pm local time)
The Blues’ season is officially on life support after they suffered their seventh loss in eight matches last week against Melbourne. The result sent them slipping down to 14th on the ladder with a 4-7-1 record. After starting the year undefeated in the opening month, their only win since has been against rock bottom West Coast. And wouldn’t mortal enemy Essendon relish the opportunity to hammer the final nail in the Blues’ coffin in the newly-created King’s Birthday eve marquee match? This match bears an eerie resemblance to their 2019 meeting which resulted in then-Carlton coach Brendon Bolton’s sacking. This writer doesn’t expect current coach Michael Voss to get the chop if a similar result occurs this time around, but there is no doubt that he is under similar amounts of pressure that Bolton found himself under four years ago. The good news for Carlton is that there is a way it can beat the Bombers. Last week North Melbourne showed that Essendon’s undersized backline is vulnerable, as key forwards Nick Larkey and Callum Coleman-Jones routinely caused headaches. Few would argue that the Blues’ combination of Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay is superior to North’s, but the question is always the same for Carlton: can it move the ball quick enough into its forward 50? Time and time again, the answer has been a resounding “no”. History is the greatest predicter of the future, so it’s hard to see how the battling Blues will be able to magically turn around their stagnant ball use. Essendon isn’t travelling exceptionally, but it has been getting the job done consistently, which is a great sign of maturity and improvement on previous years. And in a further boost, the Bombers are a huge chance of regaining star forward Peter Wright (shoulder) for his first game of the season, as well as important defender Jake Kelly (concussion). Carlton could welcome back ruckman Marc Pittonet (hand).
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Carlton by 9 points.

MELBOURNE v COLLINGWOOD (MCG, Monday 3.20pm local time)
The Demons might have returned to the winners’ list on the weekend, but it was far from a convincing performance against Carlton in what was one of the worst games of the season, as both teams could only muster a combined 105 points. Prior to that, Melbourne suffered back-to-back losses to finals aspirants Port Adelaide and Fremantle. The forward line continues to be a huge concern for Simon Goodwin’s team as it seems to be struggling to find the right mix, especially from a key target perspective. Might Ben Brown get a reprieve this week? Time will tell. Conversely, Collingwood is experiencing no such issues. The Magpies are absolutely flying and remain the runaway premiership favourites, having now won their last eight games to sit atop the ladder with a sparkling 11-1 record. And while Beau McCreery and Will Hoskin-Elliott are in doubt due to ankle issues, Collingwood could very well regain Jamie Elliott (shoulder), Daniel McStay (finger) and Pat Lipinski (shoulder) for the blockbuster King’s Birthday clash. Meanwhile, the returns of superstar midfielder Clayton Oliver (hamstring/blister) and premiership defender Michael Hibberd (rested) will serve as massive boosts for Melbourne, which will be without Jake Bowey (concussion) and James Harmes (suspension). The Dees could rise to this enormous challenge, but it’ll take a super effort bring down the rampaging Pies.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 7 points.

SEASON TOTALS
RONNY 74
ROCKET 70
ROCO 65