Patrick Dangerfield gets a handball away last time Geelong met GWS in Round 1 of last season. Photo: AFL MEDIA

GEELONG v GWS (Kardinia Park, Friday 7.50pm local time)
The Giants are one of the few teams that can say they have conquered Fortress Geelong in the last six years, but two seasons is a very long time in football, and the 2019 incarnation of GWS, which secured that magnificent four-point victory, is miles off the current version. Rather than being on course for a grand final appearance, the 2021 Giants are battling just to stay in the finals race. And they’re going to have to dig really deep just to stay competitive this week with Jacob Hopper (concussion), Tom Green (hamstring), Phil Davis (concussion), Shane Mumford (managed), Jesse Hogan (managed), Daniel Lloyd (ankle) and Sam Reid (ankle) all making way. Conversely, the Cats continue to tick the wins over, victorious now in 11 of their last 12 games. And even though they’re still missing a decent portion of their best side in Jeremy Cameron (hamstring), Mitch Duncan (knee), Lachie Henderson (calf), Gryan Miers (leg), Mark O’Connor (knee) and Tom Atkins (back), they remain a rock-solid outfit. With the very real prospect of finals being hosted in Geelong this year as a result of the COVID crisis gripping the nation, they have even more incentive to lock down a top-two spot.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 28 points.

CARLTON v GOLD COAST (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
After being slammed from pillar to post for most of the season, the Blues amazingly find themselves back in the finals hunt, having won four of their last six games. They’re now just a game outside the top eight with three rounds remaining, incredibly with an external review into the football department purring away in the background. But which Carlton is going to turn up this week? The one that embarrassed itself against North Melbourne two weeks ago? Or the one that actually applied itself and pressured St Kilda into submission six days later? The same can be asked of the Suns. Will the side that recently secured back-to-back wins against Richmond and GWS, before pushing the Bulldogs for four quarters, rock up? Or will the side that has been outscored by 174 points in its last six quarters be present? All of those questions actually make this game harder to predict than it appears. The Blues regain Eddie Betts while the Suns get Brandon Ellis back. Carlton should win, the Blues really should, but given the unpredictable nature of this crazy season, anything could happen.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 6 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 36 points.

RICHMOND v NORTH MELBOURNE (MCG, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
Another team whose finals pulse just refuses to flatline is Richmond. Despite being pipped by Fremantle in a thriller last week, the Tigers are still alive as one of four teams on 32 points and a game shy of eighth position. And crucially, they welcome back Nick Vlastuin and Kamdyn McIntosh to the line-up. The high stakes are underscored by the fact that coach Damien Hardwick has lost patience with some of his senior players, dropping Jason Castagna, Mabior Chol, Jake Aarts and Josh Caddy as well as Ryan Garthwaite and Jack Ross. Meanwhile, the Kangaroos regain key duo Tarryn Thomas and Cam Zurhaar. Bottom-placed North has become a much more consistent and competitive team in the second half of the season, and will give itself every chance of causing another upset here. The Tigers probably have just enough talent in their line-up to see off the challenge, but it’s not going to be easy.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 12 points.

ADELAIDE v PORT ADELAIDE (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7.10pm local time)
Showdown 50 has been overshadowed by a racism scandal which has sensationally claimed the scalp of star Adelaide forward Taylor Walker. It has emerged this week that the 31-year-old is alleged to have made a racist comment about an Indigenous North Adelaide player while addressing the Adelaide reserves during a SANFL match in a non-playing capacity on July 17. He didn’t front up to training on Thursday, and has subsequently been left out of the biggest fixture on the calendar in South Australian football. It’s quite a bombshell that threatens to serve as a massive distraction for the Crows. And given how many spots separate Adelaide and Port Adelaide on the ladder, it’s something Matthew Nicks’ side could not afford. The Crows needed everything going for them to be any chance of causing an upset, but the top-four Power, with Robbie Gray back in the team, should have few problems dispatching their arch enemies.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 34 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 42 points.

ST KILDA v SYDNEY (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
The Saints also find themselves at the last-chance saloon when it comes to finals and their last roll of the dice has seen them bring back Nick Coffield, Jack Sinclair, Dan McKenzie and Darragh Joyce in a desperate attempt to stay alive. However, crucially, Paddy Ryder (achilles) remains sidelined and once again we saw how poorly the Saints function without Rowan Marshall and Ryder in the same team. Is there an unhealthier reliance on one or two players by a team in the competition? It’s doubtful. St Kilda are another Jekyll-and-Hyde team that finds itself exactly where it deserves to be – mid-ladder purgatory. And there’ll be nowhere to hide for them this week, either, because they come up against one of the in-form teams in the competition that has shown playing, and staying, on the road is of little consequence. The Swans have now won five games in a row and with a top-four spot in their sights, it’s going to take a bit more than Brett Ratten’s inconsistent side to stop them.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 22 points.

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HAWTHORN v COLLINGWOOD (MCG, Sunday 2.10pm local time)
Point out a person who can confidently predict who is going to win this match, and I’ll point out a liar. This could very well be the tightest game of season 2021. There is literally nothing separating these two sides (apart from the four points on the ladder). They both reside in the bottom five and have both experienced wild form fluctuations in recent times, capable of competing with and, in some cases taking down, top-eight teams, while also losing to average-to-subpar sides. Getting a read on either side is more difficult than deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. However, the Hawks will have to make do without Luke Breust who injured his knee against Brisbane last week. Still, a coin flip is probably the best way to pick a winner here. Heads: Hawks.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 1 point.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 2 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v ESSENDON (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
If the Bombers could have chosen one side not to play against as they aim to keep their fading finals hopes alive, it would have been the Western Bulldogs. Luke Beveridge’s team has become the Bombers’ modern day bogey side, having won their last six meetings by an average margin of 54 points (who could forget the night they booted 21 consecutive goals late in 2019). And while Richmond has won its last 11 in a row against the Bombers, it’s a shadow of the mighty team it once was, and would definitely be a more desirable opponent for Essendon right now. Conversely, the ladder-leading Bulldogs are the strongest they’ve been since they began tormenting the Bombers in 2015, and at full flight on the fast deck at Marvel Stadium, it could be a disastrous day for the Dons. To their credit, though, the Bombers have hardly been blown off the park this year, having developed the admirable trait of fighting out games right until the end under rookie coach Ben Rutten. That characteristic will be put the test this weekend, especially with Dyson Heppell (thumb) and Kyle Langford (hamstring) missing, while the Bulldogs welcome back Adam Treloar (ankle) from a 12-week stint on the sidelines.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 44 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 34 points.

FREMANTLE v BRISBANE (Optus Stadium, Sunday 3.10pm local time)
You cannot help but admire the Dockers. Despite contending with one of the worst injury lists of the season, as well as the odd slice of fixturing bad luck (even by COVID standards) when they ended up playing a ‘home’ game against Carlton at the MCG, they’ve stuck at it, shown admirable grit and now find themselves in the top eight. Young guns Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra in particular have really stood tall when their side has needed them and they look like champions in the making. They will once again have to go into battle without the likes of Nat Fyfe, Michael Walters, Rory Lobb, Brennan Cox and Joel Hamling, but they seem to be thriving with their backs against the wall. And they do regain Alex Pearce (concussion). Helping their cause is the absence of Brisbane star Lachie Neale due to illness. This really is make or break for the Lions, who have looked a shadow of themselves in the last month. Their dash and dare have totally deserted them, and nobody has stood up to fill the gaping holes left by injured bookends Eric Hipwood and Marcus Adams. A top-four finish is now unlikely but it’s still a chance of happening, and if they want a double chance, winning their last three games is non-negotiable.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 2 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 6 points.

WEST COAST v MELBOURNE (Optus Stadium, Monday 6.10pm local time)
The Eagles proved yet again last week that unconditional football just isn’t their go. They have the unenviable reputation of picking and choosing when they decide to give at least a half-decent effort. Given the Magpies’ position on the ladder and the fact West Coast was supposedly “celebrating” its first ever 300-gamer in Shannon Hurn, the Eagles’ 45-point loss last round was probably their worst performance of the year – at least Geelong and Sydney are premiership contenders. And while that insipid display once again highlighted their foibles on the road, the alarming thing for West Coast is that some of those lazy habits are now creeping into their home matches. Recent games against North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs in Perth proved that the problems run a lot deeper than simply travelling on a plane. And while Melbourne has endured a pretty scratchy past month, a nice easy kill that Gold Coast presented last week could be just the thing that sparks the Demons back into gear in time for the all-important run-in to the finals.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 16 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 107
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 110