Lance Franklin marks in front of Brayden Maynard during Sydney’s win over Collingwood last year. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

ST KILDA v BRISBANE (Marvel Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
If the Saints are any hope of making the finals, they must beat the Lions. And they’re not without a shot. While they were disappointing against Geelong last week, they did start the game with the right energy and attitude before being totally overwhelmed by the far superior Cats. St Kilda can’t afford to go quiet for long periods of time in this game either, because Brisbane is the kind of team that is capable of making you pay dearly. Like the Saints, the Lions’ form has been pretty patchy in the last seven weeks, but their last month has been very solid, and save for a spectacular capitulation against Richmond, they would have won their last four games. If Brisbane brings the same pressure and intensity that it did against Carlton last week, St Kilda will find it very tough.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 12 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v GWS (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
Once again, the Bulldogs got sliced open on transition last week, and their brittle defence was left totally exposed against Fremantle which registered a whopping 18 marks inside 50. There’s no question the Dogs’ biggest weakness is their defence. They now rank 16th in the league for marks conceded in their defensive 50. But the good news is they are still alive in the finals race and while GWS responded well to caretaker coach Mark McVeigh’s “check out” comments by thoroughly outplaying Essendon last week, the Giants lose their best player Toby Greene to a thumb injury. Greene’s absence will be enough on its own to tilt the contest in favour of the Bulldogs who remain a very strong chance of kicking Carlton out of the top eight next week.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 32 points.

ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 1.40pm local time)
A game that was of little consequence three days ago now has plenty of meaning and emotion attached to it. After 13 long months on the sidelines, star Kangaroos midfielder Ben Cunnington makes his long-awaited return to the senior line-up. It’s been a harrowing and treacherous journey back to the top level for Cunnington, who has had to overcome two bouts of testicular cancer, as well as a calf strain and a bout of COVID more recently. But after getting through his first VFL hitout last week unscathed, the midfield bull is back and set to take on the Crows. Will it be enough to push the Kangaroos over the edge for their third win of the year? You wouldn’t bet against it. But Adelaide is putting together some nice form recently, with impressive wins over Carlton and West Coast, and looks to be finishing the season strongly.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 26 points.

GOLD COAST v GEELONG (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
A season that promised so much for the Suns at 7-6 has amounted to yet another bottom-10 finish with their finals dream officially dashed last week courtesy of Hawthorn. Stuart Dew’s men have lost five of their last seven games and while they have made great strides this year – above all else they’re actually being respected as a legitimate footy team – they still have a lot of work ahead of them. And they’re going to receive the ultimate audit this weekend against the barnstorming Cats. Geelong’s meticulous and stupendous man management is on show for all to see at the selection table this week with the heavy artillery returning in Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Mark Blicavs and Gary Rohan – what a luxury. And they also get to manage Mitch Duncan, Isaac Smith and Mark O’Connor with finals around the corner. Sitting on top of the ladder and riding an 11-game winning streak, the Cats really are purring beautifully. They’re in a fantastic position and should flex their muscles again this week.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 30 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 16 points.

MELBOURNE v CARLTON (MCG, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
It wasn’t supposed to come to this for the Blues. After starting the year 8-2, their success-starved fans were dreaming of a top-four finish, but the wheels have fallen off dramatically with just four wins from their past 10 games. They now sit precariously in seventh spot, with the ninth-placed Bulldogs ready to pounce on any slip-up. The one positive this week is the 11th hour reprieve of skipper Patrick Cripps at the AFL Appeals Board. But even on that score, Carlton’s midfield is still up against it this week against Melbourne’s fearsome on-ball brigade without two key pillars in George Hewett (back) and Matthew Kennedy (jaw). The likes of Melbourne stars Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jack Viney and Max Gawn will all be smarting after the Demons somehow managed to lose to Collingwood despite dominating the stat sheet. And when you add their desperation to hang on to their top-four spot, it looms as a mighty challenge for the likes of Carlton’s Cripps, Sam Walsh and Adam Cerra, who will have to lead the Blues’ charge in the middle. If Melbourne can improve its forward efficiency, it could end up being a long night for its opponent.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 42 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 24 points.

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FREMANTLE v WEST COAST (Optus Stadium, Saturday 5.40pm local time)
The Dockers returned with a bang last week, claiming their first win in a month in brilliant fashion against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium. They brought a solid plan to the game and executed it superbly with their ‘keepings-off’ brand coupled with their devastating transition from defence. The woeful Eagles stand little chance of upsetting their crosstown rivals. The Dockers are still in the hunt for a top-four spot and, equally importantly, won’t want to miss a chance to inflict serious punishment on ‘Big Brother’. After the Dockers fought back to almost level up the Western Derby ledger in 2015 at 21-20, the Eagles went on a rampage, winning the next 11 to stamp their authority on the rivalry once more. Freo have won the last two, but still have their work cut out for themselves in their attempt to level up the head-to-head again. This is a golden opportunity for the Dockers to continue that process and it will take a minor miracle to prevent them from completing their first double over West Coast since 2014.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 57 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 38 points.

RICHMOND v HAWTHORN (MCG, Sunday 1.10pm local time)
Like the Crows, the Hawks are finishing the year with a bit of a wet sail, having now won four of their last five games. And while they are outsiders in this contest, they have the ability to really trouble the Tigers. Let’s not forget that they’ve beaten Geelong and Brisbane this year. Richmond should be good enough to get the win – after all, it is playing for a spot in the finals. And it showed again last week against Port Adelaide – in the third quarter in particular – that it is capable of playing some devastating footy at full flight. The win over the Power was an impressive sequel to the Tigers’ remarkable comeback win against Brisbane the week before, and they’ve gone a long way to atoning for their disastrous fortnight which saw them lose back-to-back games to Gold Coast and North Melbourne. Hawthorn won’t make it easy, but Richmond should be good enough with so much on the line.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 40 points.

SYDNEY v COLLINGWOOD (SCG, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
Easily the match of the round, this promises to be an absolute clinker. The fourth-placed Swans, who have won eight of their last 10 games, up against the second-placed Magpies, who have won their last 11 games and are the fairytale story of the 2022 season. It’s like a broken record, but Collingwood claimed yet another victory last week by under 10 points. The Pies’ last six wins have been by seven points or fewer and two other wins in their active streak have been by four points. Collingwood is now 10-1 in games decided by 11 points or fewer, and 8-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer. And all achieved in Craig McRae’s first year as coach. It’s already been a season to remember for the Pies, but there is still so much more potentially for them to achieve. But as strong and unshakable as their belief is, the streak has to end eventually, doesn’t it? It probably wouldn’t be the worst thing for them to drop a game before the finals, either. But the Magpies are a very good road team, a fact that is even more evident in this rivalry as they’ve won 11 of their last 16 games against the Swans in Sydney. There’s no reason to think they won’t take it up to the Swans this week, and the final margin will probably hover around the one-goal mark again, but Sydney has been cranking into finals mode since the halfway point of the year, and if any team is capable of breaking the streak, John Longmire’s men are.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 6 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 2 points.

ESSENDON v PORT ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 4.40pm local time)
This timeslot is befitting a game between two of the year’s most disappointing sides. After showing promising signs across a seven-game stretch, the Bombers reverted to type last week with a trademark meek performance against the lowly Giants, while Port Adelaide suffered its fourth loss in a row as the Tigers blew the Power away in the second half. The Bombers enjoy playing at the Docklands stadium, having won their last four games there, and while this is the Power’s first game at the venue this year, they won all six games there last season. However, this is a very different Port Adelaide team to the 2021 version. Both teams have named some important players in their extended squads with Dylan Shiel and Jye Caldwell added by the Bombers, and Tom Marshall and Mitch Georgiades included by the Power. This really is the ‘who gives a stuff’ cup, especially as it’s on at the same time as the Sydney-Collingwood game, which begs the question, if nobody watches it, did the game really happen? But in all seriousness, Essendon has been the ‘less bad’ of the two teams in recent times and by virtue of that fact, should emerge victorious.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 18 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 120
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 126