The Gabba will be a far cry from Ballarat, where the Western Bulldogs beat Brisbane in round eight. Photo: AFL MEDIA

NORTH MELBOURNE v HAWTHORN (Marvel Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
September has definitely come early for these two sides, and more so for Hawthorn. While the Kangaroos are still a very faint hope of making the finals, they’ll find it very hard to do so from 14th spot. The Hawks remain a more realistic chance for a top-eight finish and they’ll have extra motivation to secure the four points in this game as Shaun Burgoyne becomes the games record-holder for Indigenous players. On the other hand, it will be fascinating to see how the North Melbourne players respond to the news that Rhyce Shaw has been given the coaching job on a permanent basis and whether that will have any effect on their arousal levels, which have been quite high for the first eight weeks of his tenure in a caretaker capacity. Both of these teams have been in pretty decent form recently, but if the Hawks can straighten up their goalkicking (which ultimately cost them victory against third-placed Brisbane last week), then they should probably have what it takes to emerge victorious.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: North Melbourne by 8 points.

ESSENDON v PORT ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
After a very up-and-down couple of months, the Power have now suffered three losses in a row – the most recent one a heartbreaking one-point defeat to the Giants. One wonders whether that may have broken their backs. Compounding things are the rumblings of discontent that continue to filter out of Alberton. All doesn’t seem to be well and the brazen selection calls continue unabated with Scott Lycett and Dougal Howard both dropped this week, while Charlie Dixon earns a reprieve. The same can’t be said for Essendon, which is enjoying arguably its longest period of stability since the drugs scandal of 2013. The Bombers were all over the shop earlier this year when they found themselves 3-5, but they have now strung together five wins on the trot for the first time in six seasons, and appear destined for finals. And while they have definitely shown signs of inconsistency within their recent streak of victories, the fact that they have fought back from deficits in each of those games highlights a new-found maturity and determination within the group. The additions of Orazio Fantasia and Conor McKenna don’t hurt, either.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 26 points.

GWS v SYDNEY (Giants Stadium, Saturday 2.10pm local time)
The last couple of Sydney derbies have not been pretty affairs, with the Giants winning by 49 and 41 points, and it’s hard to see the 18th edition going down a different path. In fact, the Swans have won the last two meetings at the Greater Western Sydney’s home ground, so Leon Cameron’s men definitely have extra motivation to secure a hat-trick of wins against their cross-town rivals. But above all, fifth-placed GWS needs to stay in touch with the top four and a win here is a must otherwise it risks slipping down to seventh on the ladder. Season 2019 has been a shocker for the bottom-four Swans, and things won’t get much better for them on Saturday.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 45 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 32 points.

FREMANTLE v GEELONG (Optus Stadium, Saturday 2.35pm local time)
The Cats haven’t been in sparkling form since the mid-season break, but a meeting with Fremantle, which has once again been hit by the injury stick, shouldn’t pose too many issues for them – even if it is in Perth. The Dockers have only won three of their last six at Optus Stadium – two of which were by a single point – and they’ll now have to head into battle without another pair of key pillars in Rory Lobb (shoulder) and Luke Ryan (hamstring). Quite a few of the Geelong players headed over to Perth directly from Sydney in a bid to acclimatise quicker. Whether that has any positive effect is yet to be seen, but with Zach Tuohy and Gary Rohan back in the side, the top-of-the-ladder Cats just look too strong.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 38 points.

MELBOURNE v RICHMOND (MCG, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
Boy, this one could get ugly. The Demons seem to be getting worse and worse as the season goes on, while the Tigers appear to be getting better and better – so much so that they are now outright premiership favourites on the back of their five-game winning streak. The manner in which they clinically disposed of the injury-hit Magpies last week in the wet was ominous, and as they continue to near full fitness, it’s going to become harder and harder to score a victory against them. Trent Cotchin (hamstring) and Sydney Stack (calf) are big outs, but their enviable depth allows them to recall premiership heroes Josh Caddy and Dan Butler. A team waving the white flag up against a side fine-tuning itself for another premiership assault has “train wreck” written all over it, and given the Tigers have the worst percentage by some margin of all the top-four teams, they will view this as a golden opportunity for a nice booster.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 62 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 48 points.

ADELAIDE v ST KILDA (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7.10pm local time)
The Crows are in freefall. Make no mistake about it. They’ve lost four of their last five games, there are strong reports of strained relations between players and coach, suggestions that tensions from the infamous 2018 pre-season camp continue to linger won’t go away, footy director Mark Ricciuto keeps making public comments which can’t be deemed as helpful, and the treatment of senior players at the selection table continues to shock many. This week, Josh Jenkins and Paul Seedsman have been axed, while Eddie Betts, Bryce Gibbs and Richard Douglas have all been selected. It really all paints a picture of chaos at West Lakes. It’s amazing to think that they’re still inside the top eight! Conversely, things seemed to have settled down at the Saints under caretaker coach Brett Ratten, who has secured two wins in his first two games in charge to revive their faint finals hopes. But as badly as the Crows are travelling, and as dysfunctional as they seem, they probably still have the Saints’ measure.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 9 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 20 points.

COLLINGWOOD v GOLD COAST (MCG, Sunday 1.10pm local time)
The Suns might be enduring their worst run of losses (14) since their formative years but, believe it or not, there has been a spike in their output over the past fortnight with hard-fought losses to Carlton and Essendon. And with the likes of Jack Martin, Ben Ainsworth and Jack Bowes named in their squad, the bottom-placed club will fancy its chances of scoring an upset victory against the injury-ravaged Magpies. The Suns are missing a decent chunk of their best 22, but Collingwood are missing half of their best side and will have to make do without Jordan de Goey (hamstring) this week. The returns of Taylor Adams and Levi Greenwood will ease the burden somewhat. The Magpies should be good enough, but they’ll want to be cautious, because Stuart Dew’s men seem intent on winning one more game before the season ends.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 40 points.

CARLTON v WEST COAST (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
This is definitely a danger game for West Coast and its plans of finishing the season in top spot. The Eagles might be flying high with 10 wins from their past 12 games, but Carlton is a different team under caretaker coach David Teague, having won five of seven matches to become a wrecking ball side in the back end of the season. However, as good as the Blues have been, they’ll be seriously tested in the final month with games against the Eagles, Richmond and Geelong (in Geelong). West Coast are now on the third line of premiership betting, and with captain Shannon Hurn and Mark Hutchings back, the Eagles should overwhelm the upstart Blues.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 16 points.

BRISBANE v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Gabba, Sunday 4.40pm local time)
The Bulldogs are back in the finals race up to their eyeballs but, like Carlton, they are facing a very tough final month of footy. If they qualify for the finals, they’ll certainly be made to earn it. And there are few road trips in the AFL tougher than the one to the Gabba. The Lions are on a once-in-a-generation roll, enjoying a six-game winning streak for the first time since 2003-04 – and we all know how good they were in that period of history. There’s a sense of destiny about the Lions and this could very well be their year given how wide open the premiership race is. They’re basically unbeatable at home and have won six interstate games this year – including their last four on the trot. The Dogs are capable of beating anyone on their day, but with so much at stake for the Lions – namely a home final first up – it’ll be surprising to see Chris Fagan’s men suffer a concentration lapse this week.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 14 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 96
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 106