Port Adelaide star Jason Horne-Francis chases Carlton captain Patrick Cripps in Round 12 last year. Photos: GETTY IMAGES

PORT ADELAIDE v CARLTON (Adelaide Oval, Thursday 7pm)
The interest in this game will mostly be from a macabre point of view. It will be a bit like a car crash. The end result will be terrible for the loser, yet nobody will be able to look away. Both the Power and Blues are hanging onto season 2025 by a thread and defeat on Thursday night will surely be the end of the road for one of these two sides, if they aren’t yet both there already. Carlton’s horrible season went from bad to worse last weekend when it was humbled by long-time struggler North Melbourne, and just when Port Adelaide looked like it was getting things back on track, it was sucker-punched at home by the struggling Swans. Both sides have reacted ferociously to their disappointing losses, axing four players each. But the good news for the Power is that Aliir Aliir (knee) and Travis Boak are back in the side. Meanwhile, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps (illness) is under a cloud. If the Blues serve up that same dull, static, safe, unimaginative footy that they produced against North, they are no chance of winning. Team spirit is one of the most important factors in footy, and Carlton’s appears to be at rock bottom as the screws continue to tighten on coach Michael Voss.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 13 points.

SYDNEY v WESTERN BULLDOGS (SCG, Friday 7:40pm)
What a difference key personnel makes. Sydney looked like a new side against Port Adelaide last week with key duo Errol Gulden and Tom Papley playing their first games of the season after long layoffs with injury and helping guide their team to its best performance of 2025. The knock-on effect was that their mere presence seemed to give star teammates Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Brodie Grundy and Justin McInerney an extra boost in a game that they would’ve won by a lot more if not for wayward goalkicking. And all of that ensures that Friday night’s game has a lot more intrigue than it did a couple of weeks ago. The Bulldogs might be fresh from yet another ruthless kill (their fifth of the year by over 70 points), but having just re-entered the top eight, they won’t want to slip back out again, so this becomes a big game for them. While they’ve struggled against top-eight sides this year (1-5), they fare much better against the bottom 10 (7-1). The Dogs have lost Adam Treloar to yet another calf injury, and James O’Donnell (adductor) is no certainty, but when they get their game up and going, they are one of the hardest teams to stop, especially with Sam Darcy finishing off their good work up forward, and the rejuvenated Swans are going to have their hands full all night.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 30 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 15 points.

GOLD COAST v MELBOURNE (Carrara, Saturday 1:20pm)
It couldn’t be happening to the Suns again, could it? Surely this is a new team with a new attitude under their triple-premiership coach? Well, we’re about to find out, because for the first time this season, the ghosts of Suns past have begun haunting the expansion club ever so subtly. Gold Coast is famous for its fadeouts in the second halves of seasons, but it looked like all of that was behind it when it made a club record 8-2 start to 2025. However, now with three losses in a row, all to top-eight sides, after looking like finals certainties, the Suns have dropped outside the top eight for the first time this year. And you better believe that the pressure is well and truly on for them to get the job done this weekend, because a fourth consecutive loss would officially be panic stations. And they face a tricky opponent in the form of the Demons who might’ve lost their last three games, but are unpredictable and are capable of springing a surprise (just ask the Lions up at the Gabba). This is the first big test of Gold Coast’s mental fortitude since being anointed a finals contender. To the Suns’ credit they performed very well against GWS last week, only to be run over the top of late. If they replicate that kind of performance, they should be too good.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 23 points.

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HAWTHORN v NORTH MELBOURNE (Launceston, Saturday 4:15pm)
It appears as though something is finally brewing at Arden Street. The Kangaroos have now won three of their last five games after losing 98 of their previous 116. Is the wheel finally starting to turn after six long, painful years? If Saturday’s performance against Carlton is anything to go by, it might just be. The most pleasing aspect of North’s past eight games is how hard they’ve become to score against. Defence has been a massive focus for them, and in that period they’ve only coughed up 77 points on average. So the good news for them is they’re no pushovers anymore. But will that be enough to get them a victory against a top-four contender? Probably not. The Hawks got a morale-boosting win against Adelaide, which is also gunning for a double chance this year, last time out and after taking down the Bulldogs the week before, they look as though they’ve overcome their mini slump which saw them lose three on the trot. James Sicily (hip/abdominal) and James Worpel (quad) are both good chances of returning.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 26 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 24 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Hawthorn by 25 points.

COLLINGWOOD v WEST COAST (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7:35pm)
On paper, this has all the makings of one of the most lopsided contests of the year. The last-placed Eagles with just one win to their credit embark on mission impossible against the ladder-leading flag favourite Magpies. A lazy 11 games separate these two sides, and only a couple of weeks after Geelong registered the biggest win of the season (95 points against Essendon), high-flying Collingwood could easily set a new benchmark with the first triple-figure margin for 2025. But that’s of course assuming the Magpies will ruthlessly go in for the kill. Often in these situations, the heavy favourites play with their food before cruising to victory. The other factor, too, is how many players will Collingwood rest? By the end of the weekend, the Pies will be 10 points clear on top of the ladder, so they have the luxury of managing their players, but they won’t want to be too cute by playing around with their superb form either. Beau McCreery (hamstring) and Billy Frampton (calf) are already ruled out, and Brayden Maynard (foot) is closing in on a return. So there’s a couple of changes at least that will have to be made. At the end of the day, one would be confident that coach Craig McRae will strike the right balance as his side primes itself for a significant percentage boost.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 88 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 62 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 51 points.

RICHMOND v ADELAIDE (MCG, Sunday 3:20pm)
The Tigers were more than brave in the first half of the season, they downright stunned the experts by not only winning three games, but also being competitive in a handful of others. However, in their past couple of matches, there have been warning signs that the bottom might just be about to fall out from underneath this young, developing squad. With just 12 goals in two matches, including four goalless quarters, Richmond’s effort and skill levels have plummeted, and the bad news for the Tigers is that they come up against a top-four side this week in the Crows. Adelaide is still smarting from its thrilling loss to Hawthorn in Tasmania, and with James Peatling back from suspension, it will look to take out all its frustrations on the Tigers in brutal fashion.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 62 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 32 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 29 points.

FREMANTLE v ST KILDA (Optus Stadium, Sunday 3:10pm)
The last time these two sides played eight weeks ago, the footy world was subjected to one of the worst games of the season. In perfect conditions under a roof, the Dockers were held to a half-time score of 1.1 (7) and could only muster two goals by three-quarter time before being spanked by 61 points. It’s hard to believe that same Fremantle side is now one of the form teams of the competition having won its last five games in a row for the first time since 2022. Meanwhile, the Saints have plunged since that forgettable May night, winning just one of their last six games, and it’s hard to see where their next win is coming from.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 31 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 14 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 17 points.

SEASON TOTALS
ROCO 94
RONNY 83
ROCKET 81

*all times are local