Josh Kennedy (right) likes playing against the Bulldogs and has been selected for the Eagles on Sunday. Photo: AFL MEDIA

NORTH MELBOURNE v PORT ADELAIDE (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
North Melbourne’s forgettable season hit rock bottom last round when it copped a 63-point hiding at the hands of Gold Coast, which was the Suns’ fourth-biggest win in their 10-year history. In fact, the scoreboard flattered the Kangaroos, who probably should have lost by about 15 goals. And if that’s where North is at right now against a bottom-six side, heaven help it against the competition pacesetter. Having lost 11 of their last 12 games, the bottom-two Kangaroos are counting down the days until the season ends. Conversely, Port Adelaide is in a battle to hang onto a top-two spot and the ability to potentially host a couple of finals at Adelaide Oval. Since round 10, the Power rank equal-first for contested possession differential (+12) while the Kangaroos are 16th (-9). All of that adds up to more pain heading North Melbourne’s way.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 48 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 40 points.

ST KILDA v HAWTHORN (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 1.05 pm local time)
Another team whose year reached its nadir last round was Hawthorn as it suffered the ignominy of handing Adelaide its first victory of the season, snapping the Crows’ club record 16-match losing streak in the process – and it was a comprehensive result, too, adding salt to the wound. Having lost five games in a row for the first time since 2016-17, and nine of their last 10, the 16th-placed Hawks are in a world of pain. And things don’t get any easier for Alastair Clarkson and his men who face a St Kilda unit on the rebound and off an eight-day break. The Saints will still be seething at their three-point loss to Melbourne – their fourth by a goal or less this year, and their second in as many games. How different things could be for them if they were able to convert at least a couple of those into wins. They might even be in the top four by now. It’s for those reasons that Brett Ratten’s side will be hellbent on ensuring no such hiccup occurs against Hawthorn this week as it aims to strengthen its foothold inside the top eight, and score consecutive wins against the Hawks for the first time in 12 years.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 32 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 20 points.

GEELONG v ESSENDON (Gabba, Sunday 3.35pm local time)
The Bombers have looked vastly improved in their last six quarters of footy, with a dramatic come-from-behind victory against Hawthorn and a very competitive showing against premiership contender West Coast. Essendon could very well have beaten the Eagles, but lacked the polish and class up forward that its opponent possessed in spades down the other end. It was a result that all but ended the Bombers’ finals hopes for 2020, and the Cats, who are coming off a nine-day break and have a double chance to protect, should deliver the knockout blow this weekend. Having won their last five games in a row, including taking the scalps of Port Adelaide, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, the third-placed Cats look like men on a mission desperate to right the wrongs of all of their September near-misses since their last flag in 2011. Patrick Dangerfield, in particular, looks possessed to at least make it to a grand final for the first time after experiencing four preliminary final defeats in his career. If he isn’t the in-form player in the competition right now, he wouldn’t be far off it, and he really enjoys playing Essendon. Putting his last game against the Bombers to one side, as he injured his knee early on and took no further part, Dangerfield has averaged 28 disposals and kicked eight goals in his last five games against them. On the flip side, the loss of Andrew McGrath (ankle) is massive for Essendon, as he has been one of its best players in 2020.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 24 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 36 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v WEST COAST (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 6.10pm local time)
Crunch time has arrived for the Bulldogs, who simply have to win each of their last three games to give themselves the best chance of featuring in the finals. And they couldn’t have picked a tougher first-up opponent in this quest for top-eight qualification. West Coast might not be in the same scintillating form it produced during its extended stay in Perth, but with nine wins from its past 10 games, it is still one of the strongest teams in the AFL and a legitimate flag fancy. The absence of Luke Shuey (hamstring), Elliot Yeo (groin) and Jamie Cripps, who returned home for the birth of his child, isn’t ideal for the Eagles either, but they coped alright without the latter pair against Essendon, and Josh Kennedy (concussion) will be available too. Bulldog fans don’t need any reminding of how much Kennedy loves playing their team, either – the champion forward has kicked more goals against them (53) than any other side. The Doggies continue to be one of the season’s biggest enigmas, with the gap between their best and worst still quite sizeable. Unfortunately for Luke Beveridge’s side, it has failed almost every test against the best teams this year, suffering losses to Port Adelaide, Richmond, Geelong, Brisbane, St Kilda and Collingwood. West Coast might be out of its comfort zone to an extent in Queensland, but it should continue the Dogs’ worrying trend against the best sides and rack up its sixth consecutive win against them – something it hasn’t done in 28 years.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 2 points.

MELBOURNE v FREMANTLE (Cairns, Monday 7.10pm local time)
To say the Demons blew a golden opportunity to strengthen their bid for a finals berth last round would be a massive understatement. Instead of doing what they had to do and beat the bottom-four Swans, old habits kicked in as they capitulated and suffered an embarrassing defeat. Now their dream of finals action has become that much tougher. And it makes their assignment against Freo a non-negotiable. But like Sydney, Fremantle is a hard nut to crack and more often than not this year it has really made its opponent earn victory against it. The Dockers’ competitiveness belies their 5-9 record and that should send shivers down the spines of the Melbourne faithful. The one thing you can say about Simon Goodwin’s side this year is that whenever it suffers a bad loss, it responds the next game with a victory. If the Demons don’t continue that trend against the Dockers, and fail to make it three wins in a row over them for the first time since 2001, then they really don’t deserve to partake in the finals.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 6 points.

ADELAIDE v GWS (Adelaide Oval, Tuesday 5.10pm local time)
The Crows, and their rookie coach Matthew Nicks, finally got the monkey off the back last round with a 38-point victory over Hawthorn ending a 12-month winless period for the club. And if GWS puts in a performance similar to the one it produced against Carlton last time out, it will be playing with fire, because Adelaide actually hasn’t in been in such bad form recently (the game before last, the Crows trailed Geelong by just nine points at three-quarter time). The home ground advantage will serve as an extra boost for Nicks’ team, too. This is such an important game for the Giants because if they win, not only do they maintain their grip on a top-eight spot, but they will also leapfrog Collingwood. This game is too important for the expansion club to drop and it looks set to be bolstered by the likely return of Josh Kelly from concussion as well.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 32 points.

CARLTON v SYDNEY (Metricon Stadium, Tuesday 8.10pm local time)
Melbourne wasn’t the only side last round to kick a massive own goal in the finals race. It had good company in the form of the Blues, who squandered a 15-point three-quarter time lead to lose to GWS. It was the second game in a row in which Carlton suffered a second-half fadeout with its top-eight aspirations on the line – a strong as indication as any that it is not a finals-calibre side yet despite the improvement it has shown this season. And this weekend, the Blues are up against a plucky Sydney outfit which has recently developed a taste for wreaking havoc against top-eight hopefuls. The Giants have recovered from their Sydney reality check, but Melbourne might have just kissed its finals hopes goodbye thanks to the Swans. So Carlton, which now sits in the dreaded “mathematical possibility” basket, would want to be very careful otherwise it will become a finals “impossibility” quicker than you can say “Teague Train”. The fact the Swans have played so well recently minus so many key players is a testament to their attitude and discipline, as well as the coaching performance from John Longmire. But in a weird kind of way, with less pressure attached to this game than their previous two, the Blues are probably a better chance of coming away with the four points this time around as they seek back-to-back wins against the Swans for the first time in nine years.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 16 points.

BRISBANE v GOLD COAST (Gabba, Wednesday 7.10pm local time)
Season 2020 is already a tick for the developing Suns, but it’s been a long time since they took down a contender – round two against West Coast, to be precise. And while their thumping win over North Melbourne last Sunday was impressive, the top-two Lions are a different prospect altogether. However, Brisbane has copped a huge blow with star defender Harris Andrews injuring his hamstring, which means Darcy Gardiner will probably be assigned the job on emerging Suns forward Ben King. The return of Lincoln McCarthy (suspension) for Brisbane will go some way to easing the pain of losing Andrews, while Gold Coast should regain Jarrod Harbrow (shoulder). Brisbane is just chugging along at the moment, with their last three wins being achieved by a total of only 11 points, but the sign of a good side is that it wins even when it’s not playing great footy, and the Lions head into this contest on the back of a four-game winning streak. Add to the fact that Brisbane remains undefeated at its home the Gabba this year (seven games), and it’s hard to see it losing Q-Clash 19 and failing to make it four wins on the trot against its Queensland neighbour.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 20 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 38 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 85
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 89