James Rowbottom tackles Jack Macrae as Ed Richards (right) and Tom Papley (obscured) watch on. Photo: AFL MEDIA

SYDNEY v WESTERN BULLDOGS (SCG, Thursday 7:20pm local time)
The Swans’ season is all but over now, considering they probably need to win six of their last seven games to qualify for the finals, but the same cannot be said for the Bulldogs who remain neck deep in the race for September. After putting in an admirable performance against league-leading Collingwood last week, but ultimately falling short, Luke Beveridge’s men are precariously placed in seventh spot, just a game clear of ninth-placed Adelaide. A loss to Sydney would almost certainly see them slip outside of the eight, which is not where you want to be just six weeks out from the end of the season. So it goes without saying that this is a match of extreme importance for the Bulldogs. They’re light on down back and have named youngster Sam Darcy, presumably to fill a post in defence, while Ryan Gardner (ankle) has been named but would probably still be under some doubt. But they should have the edge over Sydney’s underperforming midfield, even without out-of-form star Bailey Smith (illness), and if they can regularly provide good supply to their forward line, which has been clicking well in recent times, they’ll go a long way to securing the four points. The Swans lose Jake Lloyd (concussion), but regain promising key forward Joel Amartey who will join Lance Franklin and Logan McDonald in a bid to stretch the Dogs’ undermanned backline. The SCG is notorious for producing tense arm wrestles, of which there have been a fair few this year, and this match should be no different. But the Dogs definitely have what it takes to scrounge a win.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 8 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 15 points.

MELBOURNE v BRISBANE (MCG, Friday 7:50pm local time)
The match of the round fittingly gets top billing in the blockbuster slot that is Friday night. The Demons weren’t overly convincing last week in belatedly overcoming a badly decimated St Kilda outfit, but they did do enough to hang onto fourth spot. And that means this clash is a top-four showdown because the Lions are in third spot after impressively righting their ship since their humiliating loss to bottom-three Hawthorn by winning their last four games by an average of 52 points. But as always, whenever they travel to the MCG, their horrible record at the venue will always be a talking point, and rightfully so considering they’ve lost 13 of their last 14 games there. However, their sole win in that period came last year in a semi-final against the very opposition they’re about to confront. A second-half onslaught, inspired by spearhead Eric Hipwood, saw the Lions turn a 28-point deficit into a 13-point win, and they will surely draw huge positivity from those memories. And so they should, because they have what it takes to repeat the dose. The Dees should regain Michael Hibberd (kidney) and Lincoln McCarthy is available for Brisbane after serving a suspension. However, Melbourne is still missing Clayton Oliver and wants to use Christian Petracca up forward more often, which opens the door for Brisbane’s star-studded on-ball brigade, which is set to be further bolstered by the return of Jarrod Berry (hamstring), to stretch them in the middle of the ground.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 3 points.

COLLINGWOOD v FREMANTLE (MCG, Saturday 1:45pm local time)
It’s hard to envisage a scenario that sees this match finish with Fremantle emerging victorious. The Dockers have been arguably the biggest disappointment of 2023, and their most recent performance yet again underscored how incredibly unreliable they are as they suffered their worst home defeat since late 2021 in succumbing to Carlton, of all teams, by 53 points. It wasn’t pretty, and neither will be their next game. The Magpies are displaying all the attributes of a premiership team at the moment. Even when the Bulldogs appeared on course for an upset win last week when they shot out to a 22-point lead, the Pies seamlessly switched gears, adapted to the game conditions and clinically overpowered the Dogs before cruising to victory. It was a sight to behold. Compounding things for Freo are the losses of Brennan Cox (ankle) and Hayden Young (ankle) from their backline, while the returns of Brayden Maynard (shoulder) and Steele Sidebottom (knee) for Collingwood, which will be missing Will Hoskin-Elliott (hand), will only serve to increase the ease with which the Magpies will secure victory.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 35 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 42 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 29 points.

GOLD COAST v ST KILDA (Carrara, Saturday 2:10pm local time)
After almost six years, the Stuart Dew era has come to an end at Gold Coast. As a result, we now wait to see if the fabled “new coach bounce” has a positive impact for the Suns as interim coach Steven King takes the reins after being confirmed as the 381st VFL/AFL coach in Dew’s stead. The most recent example of a coaching change saw the affected team produce a very impressive performance as Richmond, a week after Damien Hardwick resigned, pushed premiership fancy Port Adelaide all the way before losing by 10 points. So the Saints might have a bit to be concerned about this week, especially considering a loss could quite easily see them drop out of the top eight a mere week after they were playing for a top-four spot against the Demons. That particular clash caused havoc in St Kilda’s medical room, with Max King (shoulder), Seb Ross (hamstring), Zaine Cordy (concussion) and Jack Billings (thumb) all injured and unavailable this week. On the bright side, they could welcome back Brad Hill (knee), Jack Higgins (knee) and Josh Battle (concussion) all in one hit. The Suns are only a 50 per cent proposition up at their home ground this year (3-3), and despite being down a few soldiers, St Kilda is still good enough to get the job done.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: St Kilda by 5 points.

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CARLTON v PORT ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4:35pm local time)
Well, well, well. Who saw this coming a month ago? When the Blues trudged off the MCG after Round 13, having had their pants pulled down by arch enemy Essendon, it looked like they were gone for all money. They had lost eight of their previous nine games, and were languishing in the bottom four with a 4-8-1 record. Fast forward to the middle of July and they are riding a three-game winning streak into a clash with the second-placed Power. In fact, so stunning has the Blues’ turnaround been that their average winning margin in that period has been 57 points and they’re now only a game outside the top eight. Not so long ago their meeting with Port Adelaide looked like one of the least interesting matches on the calendar, but all of a sudden, considerable life has been injected into it. Carlton hasn’t exactly beaten world beaters in their last three games, with the Suns, Hawks and Freo all being disposed of, and we will know for certain if Michael Voss’ men are back or not when they take on the hottest team in the league. The Power’s club record winning streak has now been extended to 13 matches and while logic suggests they are due for a loss at some stage, they just keep defying the odds in what has been one of the most remarkable storylines of the season. Carlton will head into battle without Matthew Kennedy (knee), but Tom De Koning (knee), Corey Durdin (knee) and Mitch McGovern (thigh) are all pushing for selection. Trent McKenzie (ankle) and Junior Rioli (personal reasons) make way for the Power, but they have a readymade replacement for McKenzie in captain Tom Jonas, while No.1 ruckman Scott Lycett (knee) is a chance to be selected too. Carlton has been impressive in the past three weeks, but it will have to lift its game even further if it is to give itself any hope of taking down the all-conquering Power.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 21 points.

GEELONG v ESSENDON (Kardinia Park, Saturday 7:25pm local time)
If the Demons and Lions have match-of-the-round status, then this contest isn’t too far behind. What a clash this promises to be as the resurgent Cats, who have lost only one of their last five games, take on the biggest surprise packet of the year in Essendon. The Bombers have won five of their last seven matches to rocket up to fifth spot on the ladder with seven games remaining, and they head into this game on the back of arguably their best performance of the year as a blistering opening half set up a sensational 18-point win over fellow finals aspirant Adelaide. Some might think it’s a shame that this highly-anticipated match is being held at a half-constructed Kardinia Park instead of a packed MCG, reducing the crowd size by as much as 50,000 in the process, but the AFL has refused to budge on an old-fashioned venue swap. The Cats have clawed their way back into eighth spot and could go as high as fifth if they defeat Essendon, which you’d expect them to do. The Dons head into this match without an established ruckman after Andrew Phillips (suspension) joined Sam Draper (hip) on the sidelines, while doubts hover over star defenders Jordan Ridley (knee) and Mason Redman (hamstring). Meanwhile, the Cats look set to recall star trio Jeremy Cameron (concussion), Isaac Smith (managed) and Jake Kolodjashnij (adductor). Geelong rarely lose down at the Cattery and you can expect that trend to continue.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 22 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Geelong by 25 points.

ADELAIDE v GWS (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7:10pm local time)
The Crows showed once again last week why they can’t be taken seriously as a legitimate contender with yet another loss on the road. Adelaide’s away record is now an atrocious 1-6, in stark contrast to their home ratio of 7-2. Those figures have led to suggestions that the Crows are flat-track bullies. The silver lining of their massive disparity between home and away performances, in the short term at least, is that their upcoming game is also at Adelaide Oval. Like Carlton, GWS has admirably turned its season around, winning its last four games to improve to 8-8 and be just half a game outside the top eight. The Giants are hopeful that Brent Daniels (hamstring) will come back, but Xavier O’Halloran (thumb) and Lachie Keeffe (hamstring) won’t feature. Adelaide look set to be boosted in defence with Jordon Butts (concussion) on track to return. As impressive as the Giants have been recently, it’s hard to go against the Crows at home.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 20 points
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 29 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v HAWTHORN (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm local time)
A bottom-three match-up isn’t exactly an ideal way to kick off a Sunday, but that’s the lot that’s been drawn this weekend. The Kangaroos (2-14) and Hawks (4-12) have just six wins between them from 32 matches combined this year, but from the glass-half-full perspective, that could ensure an entertaining contest. On the face of it, one would think that this match presents a rare opportunity for North Melbourne to register a victory, but it has lost its last 14 games and it remains to be seen whether it actually remembers how, or possesses the wherewithal, to win. Let’s be clear, Hawthorn’s bad has been really bad this year, but at least the Hawks have shown they are capable of mixing it with the better teams, as wins over Brisbane and St Kilda prove. Compounding things for the Kangaroos is the double blow of co-captain Jy Simpkin (concussion) and key backman Griffin Logue (knee) being out injured, although they could regain George Wardlaw (illnes) and/or Liam Shiels (calf). But the Hawks will be absolutely rapt to welcome back captain James Sicily from suspension, and understandably so considering they beat the Saints and Lions in his last two games, while veteran sharpshooter Luke Breust (throat) is also likely to return. Changkuoth Jiath (Achilles) might be picked, too, but defender James Blanck (concussion) won’t be available. The last time these two sides met, Hawthorn was victorious in Tasmania and it should probably produce an encore performance this weekend.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 36 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Hawthorn by 33 points.

WEST COAST v RICHMOND (Optus Stadium, Sunday 4:40pm local time)
West Coast was definitely a lot more competitive in its last home match a fortnight ago when it fell to St Kilda by just eight points, so that will give the Eagles some semblance of optimism heading into another match at Optus Stadium this week. But if you take out that performance, they’ve lost their last three games by an average of 125 points. It truly has been a season from hell for Adam Simpson’s men and it’s little wonder that they remain anchored to the foot of the ladder. If the Tigers are fair dinkum, and are serious about qualifying for the finals, they will have few issues brushing aside a team that has lost its last 14 games. The suspension revolving door will see Richmond lose instrumental ruckman Toby Nankervis, but regain promising youngster Rhyan Mansell. Jayden Short (hamstring) is also nearing a return, but it’s unclear as to whether he will be fit in time for this week. The Eagles could regain Luke Shuey (soreness) and Shannon Hurn (soreness), but it will have little bearing on the final result.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 38 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 30 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Richmond by 31 points.

SEASON TOTALS
RONNY 99
ROCO 96
ROCKET 91