Geelong forward Ollie Henry falls to ground after a scuffle during the Cats’ loss to Collingwood in Round 1. Photo: Michael Klein

COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG (MCG, Friday 7:50pm local time)
Are the wheels starting to fall off the Magpies? After losing consecutive games for the first time in 15 months, they’re the most vulnerable they’ve looked all season, and now with one-time Brownlow favourite Nick Daicos out for an extended period with a knee injury, their premiership favouritism doesn’t look as assured as it once did. Steele Sidebottom (foot) also heads to the sidelines, compounding things for Collingwood. But surprisingly, Nathan Murphy (ankle) has been named to face the Cats. Geelong isn’t exactly flying either after just doing enough to overcome a decimated Port Adelaide side last week at Kardinia Park, and its injury situation has worsened with Jack Henry (foot) joining Tom Hawkins (hamstring), Mark Blicavs (hamstring) and Cam Guthrie (toe) out of the line-up. But both sides have plenty to play for with Collingwood (first) looking to lock away a top-two spot and Geelong (ninth) fighting for a finals berth. It will be fascinating to see how the Magpies go without Daicos for the first time since he debuted in Round 1 last year. Neither team is in crash-hot form, but it would be surprising to see Collingwood drop a third match in a row.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 11 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v ESSENDON (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm local time)
All of a sudden this match doesn’t look like the walkover for Essendon that it once did a few weeks ago. After the Bombers avoided the horrifying embarrassment of a loss to West Coast by a whisker last round, they look very “gettable” this week, even if they are taking on a team that has lost its last 18 matches in what is the club’s worst run of outs in 88 years. The Bombers (12th) have everything to play for in this one, and a win could even see them return to the top eight by the end of the weekend. But North Melbourne showed plenty of spirit against Melbourne last week, going up by five goals before being steamrolled by the flag contender. Don’t forget, the Kangaroos came agonisingly close to defeating the Bombers last time they met, before falling by a kick. And this time they have the motivation of sending off retiring champion Ben Cunnington off in style in his final AFL game. Essendon should emerge victorious, but one senses that it’s going to be another afternoon of high tension and drama for the flagging Bombers.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 6 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Essendon by 7 points.

SYDNEY v GOLD COAST (SCG, Saturday 1:45pm local time)
Another match between two sides who are in the finals race, although it must be said the Suns’ hopes are faint at best as they probably not only still need to win their final three matches, but also a bit of luck to go their way on top of that. However, this is far from a daunting first stop for Gold Coast in its quest for the finals. The Suns have won three of their four matches against the Swans at the SCG and they regain inspirational co-captain Touk Miller from suspension as well. Although, they do lose Ben King (knee) and Wil Powell (ankle). But despite Gold Coast’s phenomenal record at the venue, Sydney looks too strong considering it has only lost one of its last seven games, and is fresh from ending GWS’s seven-match winning streak. John Longmire’s men (10th) have hit form at the right time of the year, so much so that a win over the Suns will probably see them enter the top eight.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 36 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Sydney by 21 points.

BRISBANE v ADELAIDE (Gabba, Saturday 4:35pm local time)
Looking purely at Brisbane’s home record and Adelaide’s away record this year, it makes it pretty hard to see the Crows springing an upset. The Lions are undefeated at the Gabba in 2023, winning all nine matches by an average of seven goals. Conversely, Adelaide is an appalling 1-7 on the road, with that one win by just three points against bottom-three Hawthorn in Tasmania. If ever the Crows (11th) wanted to buck that trend, this weekend would be a good time to do it, because they are pretty much playing for their finals survival. Another loss for Adelaide would make it incredibly difficult for it to finish in the top eight. But Brisbane has a lot to play for too. The top two, and a pair of home finals, is in reach for Chris Fagan’s team (third) and with percentage such a crucial factor, there’s no reason for the Lions to take the foot off the pedal. With No.1 ruckman Oscar McInerney back, it’s difficult to go against Brisbane.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 29 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 8 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 15 points.

CARLTON v MELBOURNE (MCG, Saturday 7:30pm local time)
The clear-cut match of the round, which is an amazing thing considering the Blues were in the bottom four as recently as Round 15. What a run Michael Voss’ side has gone on, winning seven games in a row for the first time since 2000, to not only stop looking like a dull and unimaginative team, but become the form side of the competition. Carlton currently sits in fifth spot, and the fact it’s maintained its momentum recently even without Adam Cerra (hamstring), Sam Walsh (hamstring), Harry McKay (knee), Matthew Kennedy (knee), Mitch McGovern (hamstring) and Jack Silvagni (knee) is a credit to how quickly it has matured as a side in a short space of time. The bad new for the Blues is that none of those players are back this week, but the fact they’ve proven they can manage without them will give them huge confidence. In the other corner is Melbourne which is riding a five-match winning streak of its own to occupy second spot on the ladder. And the Demons finally welcome back superstar midfielder Clayton Oliver for the first time in three months after he overcame hamstring and blister issues. Interestingly, Brodie Grundy has also been recalled, on account of Harrison Petty (foot) being injured, so we will see if the former Magpie has quickly learned to become a forward in his recent VFL stint. This is going to be a blockbuster match-up. A win for the Blues will all but seal them a finals spot, but a loss could see them tumble out of the top eight. A victory for Melbourne, meanwhile, will strengthen its grip on a top-two spot, and keep alive its minor premiership ambitions. But a defeat could see it drop to fourth and stare at the real possibility of playing its first final interstate. The stakes are massive, but as good as the Blues have been in the last two months, their spectacular winning run will probably come to an end.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Melbourne by 17 points.

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WEST COAST v FREMANTLE (Optus Stadium, Saturday 6:10pm local time)
There is a pulse! After travelling worse than Fitzroy’s downtrodden 1996 team for much of the season, the Eagles are starting to show some signs of life. After snapping their 16-game losing streak against North Melbourne in Round 20, they almost caused one of the upsets of the season against Essendon in Melbourne last week, before losing by a point. And while talk of tanking has reared its head again this week, you’d suspect a fair portion of West Coast fans would love to register their third win of the season against arch rival Fremantle in Western Derby 57 this week. With the Dockers also out of the finals race, bragging rights are all that they’re fighting for as well in this one. But even though West Coast has looked like it has belatedly turned the corner, the Dockers have had a good couple of weeks, beating the Cats in Geelong before being pipped by flag fancy Brisbane. If Justin Longmuir’s men continue on that trajectory, the Eagles should prove to be a simple assignment.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 32 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 20 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 25 points.

HAWTHORN v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Launceston, Sunday 1:10pm local time)
The Bulldogs are within touching distance of a finals spot, but they’re not there yet, and they are confronted with one of the most unpredictable opponents in the league this week. If the Dogs are not 100 per cent on their game, the Hawks will have no qualms in taking them down and putting a gigantic spanner in their top-eight ambitions. “Erratic” doesn’t even begin to describe Hawthorn. It sits in the bottom three, yet three of its six wins have come against top-four teams Collingwood and Brisbane as well as finals hopeful St Kilda. Predicting which Hawthorn side rocks up from week to week is almost like trying to predict the lotto numbers, make Sam Mitchell’s young team an extremely dangerous proposition. It’s for that reason that the Bulldogs have to assume the Hawks will bring their A-game on the weekend, otherwise they will get badly burnt. The Dogs will be without Jason Johannisen (calf) and Anthony Scott (concussion), but have named Alex Keath in their extended squad. Meanwhile, the Hawks have added Karl Amon to their 26-man squad. If the Bulldogs play like they did against Richmond last week, with star midfield duo Marcus Bontempelli and Tom Liberatore dominant, then that will go a long way to them securing the four points. But one gets the feeling the Hawks won’t make it easy.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 11 points.

ST KILDA v RICHMOND (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:20pm local time)
It’s do-or-die time for the Tigers (13th), and the Saints aren’t too far behind in seventh spot. A loss for Richmond will extinguish its finals dream, while St Kilda’s top-eight hopes would take a massive hit with a defeat. Both teams simply must win this game. The Saints have bolstered their squad with Tim Membrey, Seb Ross, Jack Billings and Ben Paton named, while the Tigers have brought back star duo Dustin Martin and Dylan Grimes, but lose Jacob Hopper to concussion. Neither side has looked overly convincing in the past month, with some flashes of promise outweighed heavily by disappointing play. It really is hard to split the two teams, but the Tigers do not like playing at Marvel Stadium, having failed to win their last seven games at the venue.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 5 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 14 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: St Kilda by 13 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v GWS (Adelaide Oval, Sunday 4:10pm local time)
What a way to finish the round. Another tantalising contest between two top-eight teams, one of which (the Power) is trying to snap its four-match losing streak and get back in the top-two hunt, and the other (GWS) attempting to maintain a foothold in the top eight after having its seven-win bubble burst by local rival Sydney last week. Port Adelaide has gone a long way to ensuring it returns to winners’ list with Aliir Aliir, Jeremy Finlayson, Miles Bergman, Lachie Jones and Kane Farrell all added to its extended squad. Trent McKenzie makes way with a knee injury. Meanwhile, the Giants have lost impressive duo Brent Daniels and Toby Bedford to suspension. Playing on the road has not bothered GWS one bit this year, as it has won matches at nine different venues this season, which equals the all-time record. And one of those wins came against the Crows a month ago at the very ground they Giants are heading to this weekend. So Adelaide Oval certainly holds no fears for Adam Kingsley’s men. GWS has proven to be a very hard nut to crack this year, and excluding its 65-point loss to Collingwood, the worst loss it has suffered was by 21 points to Brisbane all the way back in Round 6. The Giants will certainly be no pushovers, but the time has come for the Power to finally register a win and gets its stalled season back on track.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 7 points.

SEASON TOTALS
RONNY 121
ROCO 121
ROCKET 113