Chris Mayne takes his team forward during the last Carlton-Collingwood clash in round eight last year. Photo: AFL MEDIA

HAWTHORN v ESSENDON (Adelaide Oval, Thursday 4.10pm local time)
It’s been 15 long months since Joe Daniher has taken to an AFL field, but finally, after only 11 games in the last three seasons, the star Essendon forward returns to the Bombers’ line-up – and not a moment too soon given how badly their 14th-ranked attack has been performing this year. If he can get anywhere near the heights he reached in 2017 after overcoming a chronic groin injury, then the Dons are halfway to victory already. And a win is much-needed, because sitting one-and-a-half games outside the top eight, and with arguably the toughest run home of any team, the Bombers’ finals dream is fading fast. And wouldn’t Essendon’s arch-rival from the 1980s love to extinguish it completely? Neither of these sides head into this contest in great form at all, with only one win each for the Bombers and Hawks from their last seven and eight games respectively. But with Jake Stringer and Daniher returning to Essendon’s forward line in the last couple of games, it looks as potent as it has been all season. If the Bombers’ midfield can provide enough supply, then two wins in a row against the Hawks for the first time in a decade should be achievable. Jack Gunston and Jon Ceglar are welcome additions for Hawthorn, while Cale Hooker joins Daniher back in the Bombers’ side.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 6 points.

RICHMOND v WEST COAST (Metricon Stadium, Thursday 7.10pm local time)
Never mind match of the round, this could be the match of the season as two of the competition’s heavyweights do battle in a potential grand final preview. These two teams also happen to be the best at scoring from intercept possessions since round six. And speaking of intercepts, West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern produced a virtuoso performance last week against GWS with no fewer than 11 to his credit. The Eagles have returned to their ominous best since being back in Perth, extending their winning streak to eight games in the process. But they did struggle with hub life in the early part of the season, so it will be interesting to see how they cope as they re-enter the Queensland bubble for the foreseeable future. Richmond’s recent form hasn’t been as sparkling as West Coast’s, but prior to losing to Port Adelaide a couple of weeks ago in what was widely regarded as the best game of the year, it did emphatically defeat Brisbane and the Bulldogs. And the Tigers do regain another premiership star from injury, with ruckman Toby Nankervis set for one of the toughest jobs in footy against Nic Naitanui. The Eagles are the hottest team in the competition, but they are probably due for a loss, and as they readjust to hub life, it wouldn’t surprise if they suffered their last defeat of the home-and-away season to Richmond before resetting and launching another tilt at a flag.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 16 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v GEELONG (Metricon Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
This has the potential to be a very entertaining contest between two sides great to watch when they’re at their best. More importantly, it’s a critical match for the Bulldogs’ top-eight hopes and Geelong’s top-four aspirations respectively. But a loss for the Dogs would carry more consequences, as they would be in serious danger of slipping outside the top eight with four rounds to go. Beyond that though, the Bulldogs have really struggled against the top teams this year, losing comfortably to Richmond, Brisbane, Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Collingwood. In fact, they’re one of only three teams yet to win a match against a top-eight side. So this match against a flag fancy provides a huge opportunity for the Doggies to take a big scalp and prove that they could do some damage in the finals. And they’ve actually won two of their last three games against Geelong. Luke Beveridge’s side was impressive against Melbourne last week, especially during that third-quarter blitz, but Geelong is a different kettle of fish. The Cats have well and truly switched into contender mode in the last month and have that premiership look in their eyes. With Joel Selwood and Zach Tuohy both likely to return from soreness as well, all signs point towards another failed test for the Bulldogs.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong 24 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 22 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v SYDNEY (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 1.15pm local time)
A week after scoring one of the upsets of the season against GWS, the Swans crashed back to earth as they registered their lowest score in 49 years on the way to losing to Fremantle by 31 points. The third-last Swans have been competitive in patches this season, but simply haven’t been good enough to produce consistent performances over an extended period. A big injury list hasn’t helped their cause, either. And it’s hard to see how they could possibly trouble the ladder-leading Power on their home turf this weekend, especially with Connor Rozee (heel), Ryan Burton (quad) and Todd Marshall (thumb) all potentially returning from injury. A victory for Port Adelaide would see it achieve four consecutive wins against the Swans for the first time ever.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 40 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 30 points.

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FREMANTLE v GWS (Optus Stadium, Saturday 2.35pm local time)
After starting the year 0-4, Fremantle’s gradual climb up the ladder has been rather stealthy, so much so that all of a sudden it is only a game behind GWS, which was once a premiership favourite according to the bookmakers. Rookie coach Justin Longmuir is doing a superb job with the Dockers, who are becoming one of the hardest teams to score against. In fact, since round 10, Freo has conceded only eight points per game from clearances (ranked No.1) while the Giants have conceded 27 points per game (ranked No.17). It’s hard to believe that the bulk of GWS’s line-up was the driving force behind it making three preliminary finals and a grand final in the last four years. What has happened to them? They’re seemingly just going through the motions. Has coach Leon Cameron lost them? Who knows, but it has been an alarming fall from grace for the expansion club. Based on the arousal levels of both teams in recent times, it is really hard to go against Freo delivering a dagger blow to Greater Western Sydney’s finals hopes.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 2 points.

MELBOURNE v ST KILDA (Alice Springs, Saturday 7.10pm local time)
What an intriguing contest this promises to be between two sides with finals on their minds. The Saints (sixth) look fairly safe when it comes to finals, but this is no time to be complacent, while the Demons’ brief stay in the top eight only lasted one round after they failed a big test of their legitimacy against the Bulldogs last round. Melbourne might be ninth on the ladder, but since round 10 it has outscored its opposition by 10 points per game from clearances (ranked second) compared to St Kilda, which has been outscored by nine points (ranked 14th). Having lost their last two games against premiership contenders in rounds 11 (Geelong) and 13 (Brisbane), the Saints will be keen to atone with a strong performance this week – not that the Demons are in the flag mix, but it’s still important for Brett Ratten’s men to display that there is a gap between them and the chasing pack. And while Melbourne should regain Max Gawn, and possibly Nathan Jones as well, St Kilda will probably be too strong as it aims for a fourth consecutive victory over the Dees.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 14 points.

CARLTON v COLLINGWOOD (Gabba, Sunday 3.35pm local time)
It’s been a long time since the AFL’s oldest and biggest rivals have played in a match as big as this one, so it is going to be quite surreal to see it played up in Brisbane. In one corner, we have the Blues battling to stay in the finals race, and in the other the Magpies, who are still trying to solidify their place in the top eight. Despite Carlton winning its last two games (how easily that could’ve been a different story if Jack Newnes missed his miracle shot after the siren against Freo in round 12) and Collingwood winning three of its last four (but in hardly convincing fashion against the bottom three sides Adelaide, Sydney and North Melbourne), neither side is in scintillating form. That fact adds another layer of intrigue to this contest – which side will be hungry enough to snap into gear with so much on the line? The Blues should regain Matthew Kennedy (quad), while the Magpies are confident of regaining Brody Mihocek (concussion) and Isaac Quaynor (shin). The Pies’ recent form belies their 7-5-1 record – make no mistake about it, they are just going. But even still, despite their struggles, they should still have enough quality in their line-up to handle the upstart Blues, whose injury list is comparable to Collingwood’s. History is also against Carlton, which has lost 10 of its last 12 games against the Magpies, including the last three.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 24 points.

GOLD COAST v NORTH MELBOURNE (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 6.10pm local time)
After going so close to recording a victory so often in the last six games and failing each time, the Suns capitulated last round, losing comprehensively to Carlton by 33 points with the final margin flattering the expansion club as the Blues had almost quadrupled it for scoring shots. The Suns looked exhausted against Carlton in Darwin, having expended so much energy for such little reward in the previous five rounds. But after a much-needed nine-day break, they should be fully rejuvenated and raring to go against the Kangaroos. After starting yet another season brightly at 3-1, Gold Coast is now 4-8-1 and if it loses to second-last North Melbourne, much of the good work and optimism that has defined its 2020 season will be lost. From a respect point of view, this is a must-win for the Suns, because if they lose, their reputation as strong starters to a season and meek finishers will only be strengthened. The Kangas have shown they can be competitive for patches of games, but having lost 10 of their last 11, it’s clear that they don’t have what it takes to push hard enough for long enough.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 8 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 75
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 78