Xavier Duursma (left), one of the Port Adelaide players who stunned Melbourne with blistering pace. Photo: AFL MEDIA

RICHMOND v COLLINGWOOD (MCG, Thursday 7.20pm local time)
How will Richmond cope without its champion defender Alex Rance? Thursday night gives us the first insight into what the Tigers’ defensive strategy looks like for the remainder of 2019. Rance is a devastating loss and Bachar Houli’s (hamstring) absence compounds matters. Oleg Markov and Brandon Ellis come in to combat the Magpies’ smaller forward line. And there’s no doubt after such a rusty first-up performance, Collingwood will take great confidence from the fact it spectacularly ended Richmond’s season last year in the preliminary final. Brodie Grundy played a huge role in that result with his domination of Toby Nankervis, as did Jordan De Goey with the job he did on Rance. But Grundy looked like he was slightly lacking match fitness last week as Geelong’s Rhys Stanley played a big role in his side’s victory, and De Goey looked scratchy too. Neither side set the world on fire last week, but it wouldn’t surprise if they both brought the best out of each other, with the Tigers hanging on for the win.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 8 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 2 points.

SYDNEY v ADELAIDE (SCG, Friday 7.50pm local time)
Both teams headed into their first-round encounters as favourites, and both teams exited them with their tails between their legs so you can expect the Swans and Crows to bring the heat this weekend. Sydney was exposed badly for its lack of pace yet again by the Bulldogs – a theme which dogged the tail end of the Swans’ 2018 season and doesn’t seem to have been corrected. Adelaide was completely outcoached by Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson last week, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but while Tom Doedee (knee) and Richard Douglas (ankle) are huge losses, Paul Seedsman (finger) should return. The Crows still appear to have more upside than Sydney and are every chance of making it eight losses in 12 months for the Swans at the SCG – a ground where the Crows have won seven of their last 10.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 10 points.

ESSENDON v ST KILDA (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
The air has escaped from the Bombers’ 2019 balloon quicker than the speed of light. After all the hype and expectation surrounding this powerhouse, yet success-starved football club, it hasn’t taken long for the heat to well and truly descend on Tullamarine. On the back of arguably the most disappointing performance produced by an Essendon team in a decade, there will be plenty of Bomber fans who are no doubt heading into this contest with last year’s disastrous encounter with Carlton in mind. If the Bombers are incapable of taking care of a St Kilda outfit which scraped past wooden spoon favourite Gold Coast in Melbourne last week by one point, the heat will reach smelter levels and coach John Worsfold will once again be under the pump as he was in the first two months last year.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 14 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 32 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v CARLTON (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 4.40pm local time)
These sides were two of the surprise packets of the opening round. The Power stunned the Dees with their blistering pace at the MCG last week, while the Blues gave premiership favourite Richmond a run for its money, especially in the middle two quarters, before eventually losing for the 30th time in their last 33 games. Even if Carlton brings that same attitude to Adelaide this week, it would seem unlikely that it could snatch the four points, although it could be aided by Port Adelaide potentially experiencing a letdown after such a huge win. The Power really looked like they primed themselves for the Demons over the summer months, and potentially relying on four first-gamers to back up such impressive performances may make this game a little closer than some people might expect.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 26 points.

GEELONG v MELBOURNE (GMHBA Stadium, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
It was only round one, but there were already worrying signs for Melbourne against Port Adelaide, mainly with regards to its preparation for this season. The Demons had a raft of key players undergo surgery in the off-season and it showed last week as they simply had no way of restricting the Power’s outside running game. Jack Viney, Max Gawn and Nathan Jones headlined a host of Melbourne players who looked underdone. For the second game in a row, Gawn was monstered by Scott Lycett and co., and surely this tactic will be used by every other AFL team in a bid to curb the All-Australian ruckman’s influence. If the Cats decide to play all four debutants from last week again, they could face a similar issue to Port Adelaide, but Sydney is the only team that has worked out how to beat them down at Kardinia Park in the last four seasons, and the Cats will take great confidence from their gritty victory over Collingwood.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 6 points.

WEST COAST v GWS (Optus Stadium, Saturday 5.10pm local time)
What an intriguing match-up this promises to be. How will reigning premier West Coast respond to its shock thumping at the hands of bottom-four side Brisbane? Was that performance the exception or the rule for the Eagles in 2019? It was more than likely the former with so many key players out and the strong suspicion that the Gabba will once again be a tough place to win at this year for visiting sides. Josh Kennedy (foot) should return for his 200th match, as should Jamie Cripps (toe) as the Eagles unfurl their flag. GWS also had a raft of key players missing last week, but the Giants overcame that to wallop a pathetic Essendon outfit by 12 goals. To that end, Josh Kelly (hip/knee) and Nick Haynes (back) are strong chances of returning this week. Perth holds no fears for the Giants, who have won two of their last three games there, but the Eagles already have a super winning rate at Optus Stadium and should bounce back.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 20 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v BRISBANE (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 1.10pm local time)
Based purely on form, how do you tip against the Lions? It might sound harsh, but if North Melbourne had a bigger following, the Roos would have come in for a lot more flak than they did for their insipid showing against perennial strugglers Fremantle last week. The Kangaroos got absolutely smashed in the contested situation by the Dockers and have a lot to work on ahead of this encounter. It looks as though they may have gone too far towards outside run in the off-season and neglected their quota of inside beasts. The young Lions are riding high with a full of head steam after crushing the Eagles off the back of two pre-season victories. As impressive as the Lions were last week, this writer is willing to give North one more chance to prove that its most recent performance was an aberration. Because if it wasn’t, then you can expect me to back North less often and back the Lions far more often in 2019!
RONNY’S TIP: North Melbourne by 9 points.
ROCO’S TIP: North Melbourne by 22 points.

HAWTHORN v WESTERN BULLDOGS (MCG, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
The Bulldogs certainly gave their fans something to cheer about last week with their upset win over Sydney, but the Alastair Clarkson-coached Hawks are a totally different proposition. The speed at which Hawthorn has rebuilt in recent seasons while maintaining its foothold on a top-four spot has been mind-boggling, and the likes of James Sicily, James Worpel, Harry Morrison and James Cousins already look like bona fide footballers who have seamlessly transitioned into Clarkson’s system. The Dogs obviously have fond memories of the MCG from that magical September in 2016, but with only four games at the ground in the past two seasons, that lack of experience could also play into Hawthorn’s hands in what will be their first home-and-away meeting at the home of football in eight years.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 24 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 14 points.

GOLD COAST v FREMANTLE (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 3.40pm local time)
The Dockers have started the season with an almighty and unexpected bang after destroying North Melbourne by 82 points. And although the Suns put up a decent fight against St Kilda last week before losing by a solitary point, the Saints aren’t expected to venture too far from the bottom four this year. The Dockers’ performance last week suggested that 8-10 wins might be in the realm of possibility for them, and with gun players like Nat Fyfe, David Mundy, Brad Hill and Michael Walters all up and running already, this would appear to be too much of an ask for Stuart Dew’s men.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 35 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 26 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 2
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 3