Melbourne’s Max Gawn is the picture of determination during the Demons’ Round 11 win over the Bulldogs. Photo: AAP

PORT ADELAIDE v COLLINGWOOD (Marvel Stadium, Friday 7.10pm local time)
The Power “host” the Magpies in Melbourne as yet another round of the 2021 AFL season succumbs to COVID chaos. But in truth, this game could have been staged in Kalgoorlie and you’d still probably get the same result. Without a whole host of key players last week, Port Adelaide showed enormous grit to stop a red-hot St Kilda dead in its tracks at the same venue at which it will be taking on Collingwood this week. And the news gets better for the Power, with 2018 top draft trio Zak Butters, Connor Rozee and Xavier Duursma all coming back from injury (in Duursma’s case for the first time since round four). The Pies were good for three quarters last week, but unlike their previous two games, ran out of puff in the final term against Carlton. Compounding things for the bottom-four outfit are the losses of Chris Mayne (ankle), Will Hoskin-Elliott (back), Josh Thomas (concussion) and Callum Brown (shoulder) to injury. Port Adelaide is 12-1 against teams ranked below it this year and with a top-four spot to play for, should be far too good for the Pies.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 30 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 28 points.

CARLTON v NORTH MELBOURNE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
Where there’s life, there’s hope, but Carlton needs to win its final five games to be any chance of playing finals this year – starting with the Kangaroos, who are certainly not the pushovers they were earlier in the season with 10 points from their last six games. The Blues welcome back Patrick Cripps, while North recalls its own midfield warhorse in Ben Cunnington, as well as Jed Anderson, who is playing his first game since injuring his ankle in round three. Carlton is enjoying a nice patch of form, ironically since announcing an external review into its football department, and tends to thrive against opposition from the lower regions of the ladder. The prospect of twin brothers Harry and Ben McKay lining up on each other looms as a season highlight.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 18 points.

BRISBANE v GOLD COAST (Gabba, Saturday 3.10pm local time)
For the first time this year the alarm bells are ringing for the Lions. Up until recently, they were one of the hottest sides in the competition, but back-to-back losses to St Kilda and Richmond have put paid to that, sending them tumbling out of the top four for the first time since round eight. Injuries to key bookends Eric Hipwood (knee) and Marcus Adams (foot) have exacerbated their mini-slump. On the bright side, they do regain Jarrod Berry and Callum Ah Chee. Needing to keep their double-chance hopes alive, a desperate Brisbane outfit should be too strong for the Suns, despite the recent patch of impressive form that Stuart Dew’s team has produced. The Lions have won their last five games against Gold Coast by an average margin of 52 points, and are looking to achieve six Q-Clash victories in a row for the first time.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 40 points.

WEST COAST v ST KILDA (Optus Stadium, Saturday 2.35pm local time)
The Saints’ mid-season revival was beautiful while it lasted, but any hopes they had of qualifying for the finals went up in smoke last week against the Power. And making matters worse for them is the unavailability of crucial big man Rowan Marshall, who has been forced into isolation after visiting a Tier 1 exposure site, as well as two of their better-performed players of recent weeks in Tom Highmore (hand) and Dan McKenzie (concussion). West Coast loses captain Luke Shuey (calf) to yet another soft tissue injury, but veteran sharpshooter Josh Kennedy does return. The Eagles aren’t exactly setting the world on fire of late, with a win over lowly Adelaide last week stabilising their season more than anything else, but the Saints are 6-2 in matches that Marshall features in this year without being subbed out injured, and his absence will be too hard to overcome for Brett Ratten’s team.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 24 points.

MELBOURNE v WESTERN BULLDOGS (MCG, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
What a game this promises to be as the top two teams in the league do battle. Unfortunately, though, for the second time this year, a 1 v 2 showdown between the Demons and Dogs will be played behind closed doors due to COVID restrictions. But the show must go on, and if their last meeting is anything to go by, Melbourne will be feeling pretty confident heading into this contest. The Demons are sitting pretty on top of the ladder, but curiously have lost three games to and now drawn one against bottom-10 teams while maintaining a perfect 7-0 record against the top eight – including a superb 28-point win over the Dogs in round 11. They really seem to struggle to get themselves up for the weaker teams, but when it comes to fellow premiership contenders, they have no such issues bringing the heat. And last time out they pressured the Bulldogs into submission, denying them the ability to use their beautiful skills and forcing them into countless costly turnovers. The Dogs haven’t been firing on all cylinders of late, and lose Josh Dunkley (COVID protocols) but do regain Tom Liberatore. They’ve also brought back Josh Schache to seemingly join an already tall forward line featuring Aaron Naughton, Josh Bruce and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. It’ll be interesting to see how that one plays out. Meanwhile, James Harmes is back for the Demons, and while they might have seemed sub-par last week against the Hawks, expect them this week to remind the footy world why they currently sit at the peak of the AFL.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 2 points.

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ADELAIDE v HAWTHORN (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
The Crows’ hopes of grabbing a morale-boosting win received a massive setback when this game was shifted from their home ground the Adelaide Oval to Marvel Stadium during the week. After starting the year full of promise, Adelaide is starting to resemble the wooden spoon side it was last year, with 11 losses from its last 13 games. And worryingly for the Crows, they’re still a chance of finishing on the bottom of the ladder in consecutive seasons – especially if they lose to the Hawks. After producing one of the upsets of the season last week in holding top-placed Melbourne to a draw, Hawthorn seemed to put behind it the coaching handover controversy that was swirling around the club, although a lot of that chatter did rear its head again this week. But with Chad Wingard, Blake Hardwick and Jack Scrimshaw all back in the side, the Hawks should be able to get the job done.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 10 points.

SYDNEY v FREMANTLE (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 12.30pm local time)
The Swans are well and truly back to their early-season form, and they couldn’t have timed it any better heading into the home stretch of the home-and-away season. Back-to-back wins over flag contenders the Western Bulldogs and arch-rival GWS, which led by six goals at one stage, has Sydney brimming with confidence and quietly confident about its own premiership aspirations. John Longmire’s team doesn’t seem fazed at all by the fact it hasn’t played at home in six weeks, or that it likely won’t return to Sydney before the season ends. The Swans have the top-four back in their sights and an inconsistent Fremantle team, largely out of its depth against the top-eight sides, won’t be stopping them this week.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 28 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 36 points.

GEELONG v RICHMOND (MCG, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
Just as things started looking a bit better for the Tigers last week with a superb win over Brisbane, they lose their best player Dustin Martin for the rest of the year due to a serious kidney injury. It’s just been one of those years for Richmond, which has struggled for consistency all season thanks largely to the revolving door into its medical room. This week, Damien Hardwick’s men come up against an incredibly experienced, battle-hardened and well-drilled team in Geelong. Richmond has become very familiar with the Cats in recent years, especially around finals time, but Chris Scott’s side made a huge statement earlier this season with a thumping 63-point win over the Tigers. One of the chief architects of that result, Jeremy Cameron, might be missing this time due to injury, but Geelong does welcome back another pair of reliable hands in Gary Rohan and Lachie Henderson. Richmond has named Shane Edwards and Josh Caddy in its extended squad, but with nine wins from their last 10 games, the top-four Cats are a lot more settled and will likely deliver a hammer blow to Richmond’s dreams of playing finals.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 31 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 12 points.

ESSENDON v GWS (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 6.10pm local time)
Before the season began, who would have thought that the Bombers would have their finals destiny in their own hands with five games remaining? That’s exactly the scenario that confronts them after they chose a pretty good time to make their first appearance in the top eight for the season. And after recording back-to-back wins over Adelaide and North, they could be further boosted by the earlier-than-expected return of Dylan Shiel, who has been named in their squad. Shiel hasn’t played since round two, and based on last week’s performance against the Kangaroos, the Bombers’ midfield could definitely do with a reinforcement or two. The Giants’ season is hanging by a thread, and with their best player Toby Greene still absent due to COVID protocols and another of their guns Josh Kelly (ankle) under an injury cloud, they appear to be up against it. Mercifully for them, they regain Lachie Whitfield this week, while Shane Mumford comes to the rescue with their ruck department in crisis. Expect this game to go right down to the wire – it could quite literally go either way.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 1 point.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 8 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 96
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 100