Brisbane’s Jarrod Berry tries to rein in Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver back in Round 5. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

BRISBANE v MELBOURNE (Gabba, Friday 7:40pm)
The Demons (ninth) might be a spot further up the ladder than the Lions (10th), but it’s the former who are furiously attempting to keep their heads above water with all their might, while the latter are hitting their straps and belatedly looking like the team that made it to the grand final last year. In its last three games, Melbourne has been spanked by Fremantle and Collingwood before surviving a massive scare from last-placed North Melbourne to squeak home by under a kick. Conversely, Brisbane has lost just one of its last seven games, and produced perhaps its most impressive performance of the year last week when it handed Port Adelaide its biggest ever loss to a travelling team at Adelaide Oval (79 points). After a bumpy start to the year (2-5), it appears as though it’s all finally clicking for the Lions, and with star youngster Will Ashcroft (knee) back for his first game back in 11 months, they’re going to be very hard to stop at home. Jake Lever (knee) is a welcome inclusion for the Demons, but they have so many issues, not least of which the form of superstar Clayton Oliver and their struggles up forward, with three of their five lowest scores of the year coming in their last three games, and it is therefore hard to see how they can quickly turn things around to defeat the in-form Lions at the Gabba.
RONNY’S TIPS: Brisbane by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Brisbane by 20 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Brisbane by 31 points.

SYDNEY v FREMANTLE (SCG, Saturday 1:45pm)
To the Dockers’ credit, they responded well to their humiliation against the Bulldogs with a hard-fought win over Gold Coast in Perth last week, but the Swans at the SCG is a-whole-nother proposition altogether. Three games clear on top of the ladder, Sydney is comfortably the team to catch at the moment, and after registering 10 wins in a row for the first time since 2014 (a grand final year for them), it’s unclear where its next loss is coming from. With the most powerful midfield in the competition, featuring Chad Warner, Isaac Heeney, Errol Gulden and ruckman Brodie Grundy, and a beautifully-functioning forward line, boasting the likes of Tom Papley, Will Hayward, Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey, the Swans are the most complete team in the league. They have both the No.1-ranked attack and defence in the competition, making the loss of Fremantle captain Alex Pearce, one of the best defenders in the AFL, to a fractured forearm incredibly inopportune. On differentials, Sydney is second for hitouts, second for clearances, third for inside 50s and fourth for tackles (despite also being in the top eight for disposals). John Longmire’s side is a machine that is almost impossible to stop.
RONNY’S TIPS: Sydney by 31 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Sydney by 24 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Sydney by 25 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm)
The footy world felt for the struggling Kangaroos in the past two weeks, losing matches to top-four Collingwood and finals aspirant Melbourne by a combined four points. They came so close in both matches to pulling off massive upsets, but just fell short. However, the good news for North fans is that the worst of their team’s rebuild appears to be behind it and, when you throw in the gutsy win over West Coast in Perth, the Roos resemble a competitive AFL side again after losing their first 12 games by an average of 52 points. But while North is pushing hard for win No.2 of the season, it’s going to be tough to achieve that this week against the Western Bulldogs who are fresh from a bye after their best win of the year – a 67-point thrashing of Fremantle. Granted, the Dogs can be one of the most unpredictable teams in the competition, but with four wins from their past six games, they look to have stabilised. There were concerns that champion captain Marcus Bontempelli might miss after leaving the track early on Wednesday, but he’s been named, and has a knack of producing superhuman performances after being under a cloud. Besides, they welcome back Aaron Naughton (knee) and Sam Darcy (suspension) in what would be a massive boost to their forward line.
RONNY’S TIPS: Western Bulldogs by 24 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Western Bulldogs by 30 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Western Bulldogs by 21 points.

GOLD COAST v COLLINGWOOD (Carrara, Saturday 4:35pm)
As the Suns keep butchering opportunities to win games on the road, having now lost 14 in a row away from Carrara or Darwin, they are playing a high-risk game by relying on winning all of their home games to make the finals for the first time. And that strategy could blow up in their face this week because they take on a Magpies outfit that is looking more and more a premiership threat with each passing week. Having managed to avoid defeat in all but one of their last 11 games, a large chunk of which while battling a huge injury list, Collingwood welcomes back Scott Pendlebury (bicep), Jordan De Goey (groin), Brody Mihocek (hamstring), Joe Richards (foot) and Oleg Markov (back) all in one hit. That all spells trouble for Gold Coast, even if it does regain Ben King (knee).
RONNY’S TIPS: Collingwood by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Collingwood by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Collingwood by 9 points.

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GEELONG v ESSENDON (MCG, Saturday 7:30pm)
The Cats have been the Bombers’ bogey team for the last two decades, with 21 of their last 25 meetings going Geelong’s way. But Essendon has the chance to get a rare one back on its tormentors this week, especially with chief antagonist Tom Hawkins (foot) out injured. The champion forward might have been in poor form, but he has dined out on the Bombers with 27 goals from his last five outings against them, so Essendon will be happy that he’s not out on the park. After starting the year 7-0, Geelong is a team in freefall, having lost six of its last seven games to become the worst defensive team in the competition with a grossly underperforming midfield. The Cats are routinely conceding huge scores now, and with third-placed Essendon in the best shape it’s been in for many years, it looks primed to take down Geelong and solidify its spot in the top four.
RONNY’S TIPS: Essendon by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Geelong by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Essendon by 29 points.

ADELAIDE v GWS (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7pm)
Both of these teams are travelling poorly. The Crows have won just one of their last six matches to crash out of finals contention, while the Giants have triumphed in only two of their last seven. However, the wheels appear to have completely fallen off Adelaide and while GWS hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire of late, it still seems to have more talent and potency in its line-up, especially with Stephen Coniglio (shoulder) and Harry Perryman (hamstring) returning.
RONNY’S TIPS: GWS by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: GWS by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: GWS by 11 points.

ST KILDA v PORT ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm)
Will the Saints continue their high-risk-high-reward game style this week? Or will coach Ross Lyon revert to type and try and turn the match into a defensive slugfest? Those are the questions that will go a long way to deciding the result of this match. St Kilda let loose in its last game against Brisbane, registering its highest score of the year of 16.10 (106), despite losing. It was a dramatic change considering the Saints averaged 61 points in their previous five matches. Meanwhile, the Power are in a huge hole, having lost their last three games to top-four contenders Carlton and GWS as well as finals aspirant Brisbane. Port Adelaide’s last performance was particularly disappointing as the Lions handed them their biggest loss at home against a travelling team since 2011. The players threw in the towel early, at one stage conceding 12 goals in a row, and naturally the pressure has only increased on long-time coach Ken Hinkley. The Power have a more talented team, and they can show that they’re still playing for their coach this week with a convincing win. We will know a lot more about where the Port Adelaide Football Club stands at approximately 3:45 on Sunday.
RONNY’S TIPS: Port Adelaide by 8 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Port Adelaide by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Port Adelaide by 13 points.

RICHMOND v CARLTON (MCG, Sunday 3:20pm)
It’s almost impossible to see a pathway to victory in this one for the Tigers. Carlton is sitting second on the ladder as one of the form teams of the competition, having won five of its last six matches, and is hot on the heels of perhaps its best win of the year – a 63-point drubbing of Geelong. The Blues’ star players are all firing in unison – Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Charlie Curnow, Tom De Koning, Harry McKay, Jacob Weitering and Adam Saad just to name a few. They just have too much firepower for the lowly Tigers to deal with.
RONNY’S TIPS: Carlton by 57 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: Carlton by 44 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Carlton by 45 points.

WEST COAST v HAWTHORN (Optus Stadium, Sunday 2:40pm)
With Eagles teen sensation Harley Reid back from suspension, all of a sudden this becomes a very interesting game. Having lost its last four matches, much of the optimism surrounding West Coast in the early part of season has evaporated, but at least it was competitive for three-and-a-half quarters against Essendon last week. And with Reid and Tim Kelly (hip/knee) both back, the Eagles will like their chances, especially at home where they have registered all three of their wins this year. But the young Hawks are no pushovers. Far from it. They’re now one of the form teams in the league and are pushing for a top-eight spot after winning seven of their last nine games. Winning form is good form, and the Hawks should break their 2024 duck outside of Victoria/Tasmania.
RONNY’S TIPS: Hawthorn by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIPS: West Coast by 4 points.
ROCKET’S TIPS: Hawthorn by 15 points.

SEASON TOTALS
RONNY 78
ROCO 78
ROCKET 77

*all times are local