Hair-raising experience: Brisbane was thrashed by 85 points last time it played Geelong at home in 2017. Photo: AFL MEDIA

MELBOURNE v SYDNEY (MCG, Friday 7.50pm local time)
You couldn’t get a better advertisement for “floating fixtures” to be extended to at least the second-last round of the season than this situation. In a round full of mouth-watering match-ups, it beggars belief that the only clash that doesn’t directly impact the top four and/or finals race has stolen the coveted Friday night timeslot. That’s right, a bottom-four clash for the ages will get us rolling this weekend, and unsurprisingly, it’s hard to get excited about it. The Demons and Swans head into this game having lost their past five and six games respectively, but as bad as that sounds, both teams have actually been quite competitive for big portions of their active losing streaks. What probably separates the two teams is Sydney’s key targets in attack Sam Reid and Nick Blakey because injury has forced the Dees to basically make do without any tall timber up forward.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 20 points.

CARLTON v ST KILDA (MCG, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
Now that that’s out of the way, we have a nice entree here at the same ground 15 hours later with the Saints still clinging to the faintest of faint finals hopes. And there is more than a touch of irony and recurring themes in this one. David Teague will coach his first official game as full-time Carlton senior coach against the last of the remaining 2019 caretakers in Brett Ratten. Ratten, incidentally, was also the Blues’ senior coach three coaches ago, as well as being a champion player for the Blues, and coincidentally coached his last game for Carlton against St Kilda. Ratten will ironically use this game against his old team to further strengthen his bid to become Alan Richardson’s permanent replacement at Moorabbin. But enough of all that and back to the game, and if the Kangaroos are any guide, the signs are looking good for the Blues, because North recorded an impressive win against Hawthorn the week Rhyce Shaw was transformed from caretaker into full-time coach. The Blues are unrecognisable since Brendon Bolton departed and have been far from disgraced in recent losses to top-four sides West Coast and Richmond. The Saints are enjoying a honeymoon period under Ratten, too, but Carlton just look to be in better form at the moment.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 10 points.

BRISBANE v GEELONG (Gabba, Saturday 2.10pm local time)
OK, now we’re talking. It’s either this or Richmond v West Coast for match of the round, your pick! Although it’s hard to go past this considering it is No. 1 v No. 2 on the ladder and goodness knows we don’t get too many of those kind of match-ups. The Lions are in simply irresistible form, having now won eight in a row for the first time since their famous 20-game winning streak back in 2001-02 (not a bad omen, hey?) The same cannot be said for the Cats, even though they may still be perched on top of the ladder. Since the bye, Chris Scott’s men have not been their first-half-of-the-season selves, with their last eight games undergoing a loss-win pattern. The lack of continuity has been startling, and when you match up the style of play of both teams, especially at the Gabba where the Lions have only lost once this year, it is very hard to go against Brisbane. What a story it would be if they reached the top of the ladder with just one round remaining given where they’ve come from. It’s been a truly astonishing turnaround, reminiscent of Collingwood in 1977.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 6 points.

ADELAIDE v COLLINGWOOD (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 4.05pm local time)
And the matches don’t get any less tantalising, with the Crows and Magpies doing battle as they fight for top-eight and top-four spots respectively. Neither of these sides head into this clash in sparkling form, with Adelaide having won just two of its last seven games, and Collingwood three of seven. There is more at stake for Don Pyke’s men, who will find it a lot harder to qualify for the finals if they don’t win their final two games, but the Pies have generated some momentum in the last couple of weeks – albeit against bottom-two sides Gold Coast and Melbourne – and are one of the best travelling teams in the competition. They’ve had to contend with yet another off-field distraction, this time created by Brayden Sier, but the Pies love nothing more than a getaway, and it probably comes at the perfect time for them. Their forward line also looks more dynamic without the injured Mason Cox (eye) in there.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 7 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 2 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v PORT ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
The Power are starting to show why they’re rated as such a talented side with consecutive comprehensive wins against Essendon and Sydney – their first back-to-back victories in more than three months. They now find themselves in the top eight at the crucial time of the season, but it’s hard to forget not only how wildly inconsistent they’ve been for most of the year, but also fully accept that they’ve all of a sudden turned the corner. This week, they face a North Melbourne team on the rebound, desperate to atone for its stinker last week, which saw the Roos post their lowest-ever score (1.8.14) against Geelong. The Roos have been very competitive for the majority of Rhyce Shaw’s tenure, and it would be surprising if they didn’t hit back hard this week with their trademark ruthless aggression and put a spanner in Port’s finals hopes.
RONNY’S TIP: North Melbourne by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 8 points.

FREMANTLE v ESSENDON (Optus Stadium, Saturday 6.10pm local time)
After five wins in a row, which in hindsight probably papered over cracks in the form of serious game style issues, the Bombers appear to be in freefall after back-to-back smashings at the hands of Port Adelaide and the Bulldogs. Last week’s effort against the Dogs was particularly galling as they conceded 21 goals in a row – the second biggest run in VFL/AFL history. Ordinarily, that would be a coach-killing performance, but incredibly Essendon is still seventh on the ladder despite not resembling a top-eight side. It’s a bizarre situation. Looking at the Bombers’ “ins” this week, you can’t help but think there’s more than a hint of desperation attached to selection. Michael Hurley returns just five weeks after shoulder surgery, and Adam Saad after missing only one game with a hamstring injury. The likes of Dyson Heppell, Orazio Fantasia and Cale Hooker have also been named despite looking clearly hampered last week. Fremantle is still fighting for an unlikely finals berth and certainly has enough quality in its team to take down the Dons.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 16 points.

RICHMOND v WEST COAST (MCG, Sunday 1.10pm local time)
On form, you could easily mount a case for this to be the match of the round. It might be fourth v third, but the Tigers have won their last seven games, while the Eagles have won 11 of their last 13. Oh, and they also happen to be equal premiership favourites. What a game this promises to be with so much talent on every line for each side. The MCG is no longer an issue for West Coast, having won its last five games there for the first time since 1992 (a premiership year, no less). But while the Eagles seem to have been cruising along in second gear for most of the last month, the Tigers look to be regaining that ruthless edge that served them so well in 2017, their average winning margin over the last seven games 40 points. West Coast is a side capable of flicking the switch for the big games, and maybe the Eagles have been priming themselves for this one from a long way out. But Richmond will make it hard for them with their blistering transition footy from defence, and the return of Dustin Martin is pretty handy, too.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 4 points.

GWS v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Giants Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
The footy gods are really looking after the fans this week, because we arrive at yet another cracking encounter between a top-four and top-eight aspirant. The Giants’ hopes of a double chance are slim at best, but of more importance is the fact they need one more win to guarantee themselves a finals spot. The Dogs, meanwhile, have left their run very late and just have to win their last two games to be a strong chance of featuring in September. The losses of Jeremy Cameron (hamstring) and Brett Deledio (calf) have been offset for GWS by the returns of Josh Kelly, Harry Himmelberg, Matt De Boer and Aidan Corr, who have all been named in their extended squad. Like North, GWS registered their lowest ever score last week, and will be desperate to make amends. The Dogs are in a rich vein of form, but the Giants showed against Collingwood recently that they can snap out of a funk very quickly at home.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 14 points.

HAWTHORN v GOLD COAST (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 4.40pm local time)
The Hawks not only have a finals berth still to play for, but this week’s game against the Suns will take on extra significance as it will serve as club champion Jarryd Roughead’s farewell game. Gold Coast should rightfully view Hawthorn’s decision to designate this game as a celebration for Roughead as a bit of an insult given he has been banished to the VFL for most of the year, but the problem for the Suns is that they are incapable of doing anything about it. Ben McEvoy and Jack Gunston have also bolstered the Hawks’ squad, and fresh from a morale-boosting performance against the Giants in the snow, 17 degrees and under a roof will seem like a Caribbean holiday for Alastair Clarkson’s men, who should have no issues doing Roughead proud and handing Gold Coast its 17th loss on the trot.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 60 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 50 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 110
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 119