Collingwood’s John Noble latches onto Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield late last season as Josh Daicos (left) and Max Holmes look on. Photo: AFL MEDIA

COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG (MCG, Friday 7:40pm)
The Cats are back and the Magpies are struggling. On form, it would seem as though Geelong will be hard to stop this week following back-to-back thumpings of top-four Essendon and finals contender Hawthorn. And then when you factor in more key injuries for Collingwood, with Jeremy Howe (hamstring) and Brody Mihocek (pectoral) joining Tom Mitchell (foot), Beau McCreery (calf), Mason Cox (knee) and Dan McStay (knee) on the sidelines, the task becomes even tougher for Craig McRae’s team. The Pies might be out of the eight at present, but they can never be ruled out, and on the odd occasion they lose, they don’t get beaten badly. However, their aura in close games is slowly evaporating, as evidenced by their last two losses to the Suns and Bombers. The Collingwood fear factor isn’t as pronounced as it used to be and the Cats are actually looking like a more unpredictable quantity with Tom Hawkins out and Sam De Koning moving to the ruck. They’ve become rejuvenated in attack and on the ball and it should be enough to consign Collingwood to its third consecutive defeat.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Geelong by 15 points.

SYDNEY v NORTH MELBOURNE (SCG, Saturday 1:45pm)
The Kangaroos have turned the corner emphatically, and another win last week against Gold Coast franked their extremely impressive five-week period which also featured a victory over West Coast and narrow losses to finals hopefuls Melbourne and Collingwood. They’d be feeling good after lifting themselves off the bottom of the ladder for the first time since Round 4, but their newfound form is going to be put to the ultimate test this week when they face the ladder-leading premiership favourite Swans on their home deck. And fresh from back-to-back losses for the first time this year, they will be breathing fire. They won’t have Isaac Heeney due to suspension, but what a luxury it is when you can bring back your co-captain Callum Mills for his first game of 2024. Excitingly for North, another young gun George Wardlaw returns, but it won’t be enough to stop the Swans.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 36 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 32 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Sydney by 37 points.

HAWTHORN v FREMANTLE (Launceston, Saturday 1:45pm)
What a crunch match this is. The Hawks (13th) are a game outside the top eight and trying to stay in the finals race, while the Dockers (third) are looking to shore up their spot in the top four. Thankfully for Hawthorn, it regains captain James Sicily after he sat out the heavy loss to Geelong last week. It’s no surprise that when Sicily went out, the Hawks struggled badly. Calsher Dear is also a welcome return up forward with both Mitch Lewis (knee) and Jack Gunston (managed) making way. Fremantle has been in great form, losing just one of its last seven games to storm into double-chance calculations. But as that one defeat in that period showed – a 67-point walloping at the hands of the Bulldogs – Freo is still capable of the odd stinker. And down in Launceston where the Hawks have such a good record, it wouldn’t surprise if Sam Mitchell’s side rebounded with a win. Don’t forget, before last week, Hawthorn had won eight of its previous 10 matches, including five in a row.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 8 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 19 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v CARLTON (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4:35pm)
This is going to be a tall order for the Bulldogs. Their key defensive stocks have been ravaged with James O’Donnell (concussion) now joining Liam Jones (knee), Alex Keath (hamstring) and Ryan Gardner (wrist) out of the team. That is not an ideal scenario coming up against the deadliest forward tandem in the competition in Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay. Then down the other end of the ground, the Dogs are missing Aaron Naughton (concussion) as well. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, but it would be surprising if the Blues dropped this one. The Bulldogs appear ripe for the picking.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 28 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Carlton by 29 points.

MELBOURNE v ESSENDON (MCG, Saturday 7:30pm)
Like the Dockers, the Bombers are looking to solidify themselves in the top four, and after taking a rare big scalp last week in the form of the reigning premier Collingwood, their confidence will be sky high. The Demons have had an impressive couple of weeks in going down to Brisbane narrowly up at the Gabba and then clinically dismantling West Coast. But without arguably their most important player in Max Gawn (leg), on top of superstar Christian Petracca (ribs/spleen/appendix), this is going to be a very big ask for them. Curiously, Melbourne is going into the game without a recognised ruckman, having decided against selecting back-up option Tom Fullarton. If Essendon ruckman Sam Draper continues his spectacular form from last week, and with captain Zach Merrett in career-best form, that could be enough in itself to sway the result in the Dons’ favour.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Essendon by 15 points.

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ADELAIDE v ST KILDA (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7pm)
It’s been a year to forget for the Crows, but they’ve managed to hit some reasonable form in the past fortnight with a win over GWS and a gutsy loss to the Lions in Brisbane. Izak Rankine (suspension) is a massive out, but at long last, promising key forward Riley Thilthorpe is back for his first game of the year after finally overcoming a serious knee injury. The Saints were fantastic last week in toppling the ladder-leading Swans, but are they reliable enough to be backed in to repeat the dose again this week? It remains to be seen. The losses of Bradley Hill (personal reason) and Marcus Windhager (hamstring) are big setbacks for Ross Lyon’s side and they may just find it hard to back up the biggest upset result of the season.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 3 points.

GOLD COAST v PORT ADELAIDE (Carrara, Sunday 1:10pm)
It’s as simple as this: the Suns win at home and lose away. It couldn’t have become any clearer than that last week when they fell to previously last-placed North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium – their 15th consecutive loss on the road. It was an equally immature and embarrassing performance from Gold Coast. And didn’t coach Damien Hardwick know it, dropping the f-bomb during his post-match press conference. No doubt it will be tougher for the Suns to maintain their perfect record at Carrara this week, with captain Touk Miller (wrist) and Sam Day (foot), who wound the clock back against the Kangaroos last round, both out, but they certainly are a different proposition on home soil. The Power were very impressive in the way they mercilessly disposed of the Bulldogs last week, but until the Suns lose on the Gold Coast, it’s going to be tough to tip against them.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 7 points.

RICHMOND v GWS (MCG, Sunday 3:20pm)
Rookie Tigers coach Adem Yze has “earned” another unwanted first for his club in his first year at the helm. After steering Richmond to its worst ever start to a season (1-11), Yze now has the ignominious title of being in charge when the Tigers sunk to 18th spot on the ladder for the first time in their history. Suffice to say, it has been a baptism of fire for Yze. Just as it looked like the Giants’ season was drifting into the abyss, they breathed some much-needed life into their campaign last week with a tremendous come-from-behind victory over flag fancy Carlton. Could it be enough to spark another late run-on similar to last year? It’s too hard to tell right now, but what it will surely guarantee is another win this week against clearly inferior opposition.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 28 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: GWS by 29 points.

WEST COAST v BRISBANE (Optus Stadium, Sunday 2:40pm)
After a tumultuous week at the Eagles which saw their long-time premiership coach Adam Simpson sacked, the question being asked now is what impact will that have on his former players this week? So often we see the dead cat bounce effect on teams on the back of a coach axing, with renewed energy and a fresh voice in many cases yielding the desired result. And Jarrad Schofield, who becomes coach No.382 in VFL/AFL history as West Coast interim for the remainder of the season, will be hoping that’s exactly what happens this week. The Lions would not have relished the timing of the Simpson decision, especially as they continue their impressive climb back up the ladder after a terrible start to the year. Brisbane has now won its last five games, and dropped just one of its last nine, to storm back into finals calculations. West Coast heads into this game riding a six-game losing streak and while stranger things have happened, Brisbane should still be too good.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 30 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 31 points.

SEASON TOTALS
RONNY 87
ROCO 87
ROCKET 87

*all times are local