Fremantle’s Sean Darcy (left) and the Western Bulldogs’ Rory Lobb jostle for position at a ruck contest. Photos: GETTY IMAGES

ESSENDON v CARLTON (MCG, Thursday 7:30pm)
One of the least consequential games of the final round kicks things off on Thursday night. Arch rivals Essendon and Carlton facing off used to be box office TV, but so far have the old heavyweights fallen that the free-to-air broadcaster has opted to skip televising this match in what amounts to a damning assessment of these success-starved clubs. But, it’s one of only two games this weekend to feature two sides out of the finals race, after all. Pride is the only thing on offer, and while the decimated Bombers have displayed considerable pluck during their 11-game losing streak, the Blues should probably be good enough to get the job done.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Carlton by 15 points.

COLLINGWOOD v MELBOURNE (MCG, Friday 7:10pm)
The Magpies’ dramatic collapse continued last week and they have now lost five of their last six games to be in danger of missing out on the top four after being in top spot for 13 weeks. The good news is that they were close to their best again in their thrilling three-point loss to premiership favourite Adelaide last week, and with Jeremy Howe (concussion) a chance to return, that will only boost their hopes of returning to the winners’ list. And win they must because a loss will almost certainly see them miss out on a double chance. A percentage boost wouldn’t go astray either considering the Hawks (122.7) and Suns (121.2) are breathing own the Pies’ (123.1) necks in that department. The Demons have lost nine of their last 11 games and, despite how incredible Max Gawn continues to be, it would be very surprising to see them upset Collingwood.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 32 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 28 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 21 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v GOLD COAST (Adelaide Oval, Friday 7:40pm)
The Power were utterly atrocious again last week. It really has been an annus horribilis for them and will surely serve as a cautionary tale for any club in the future contemplating a coaching handover. They’ve now lost their last five games by an average of 57 points and are quite clearly counting down the minutes until the end of the season. Incredibly, outgoing Ken Hinkley’s four worst losses of his 13-year coaching career have come this year, with two of those occurring in the past month against Adelaide and Geelong. Prior to this year, he had never suffered a loss heavier than 87 points, yet has done so four times in 2025. There’ll be emotional scenes when Hinkley struts out for the 297th and final time as Power coach, but it’s hard to imagine them doing enough to get over the top of the Suns, who simply have to win to keep their top-four hopes alive. After getting bossed around by GWS last week, Damien Hardwick’s side will be looking to hit back hard, especially with so much at stake.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 24 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 17 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1:20pm)
What a disastrous week it has been for the Crows. From the highest of highs after their finals-like win over Collingwood, to the lowest of lows after it emerged that star forward Izak Rankine had used a homophobic slur towards Magpies defender Isaac Quaynor, meaning he will likely cop a hefty suspension that will rule him out of the finals series (the length of his ban is still unknown at the time of publishing). How will the firestorm of media attention impact Adelaide this week? It probably won’t be bad enough that they stumble against bottom-three North Melbourne, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them off their game slightly. The Crows are already guaranteed a top-two spot and a pair of home finals, but a win against the Kangaroos will deliver them their first minor premiership since 2017 and just the third of their 35-year history.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 29 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 40 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 31 points.

RICHMOND v GEELONG (MCG, Saturday 4:15pm)
A brave season from the rebuilding Tigers will come to an end in potentially ugly circumstances this week when they take on the barnstorming Cats. Second-placed Geelong simply needs to win to lock in a top-two spot and two home finals and should have absolutely no problems achieving that and extending its winning streak to six games. It would be the Cats’ 16th home-and-away top-four finish in 22 years, and 11th in 15 seasons under master coach Chris Scott’s reign. They’ve won seven of their last nine games by an average of 68 points, and a similar margin should be achieved this week.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 57 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 48 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Geelong by 55 points.

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WEST COAST v SYDNEY (Optus Stadium, Saturday 5:35pm)
The second of two games featuring two teams out of the finals race, but the final margin could easily be a big one. While the Eagles were very impressive the last time they played at home by giving ladder-leading Adelaide a massive fright, they were brought back down to earth last week when they recorded their biggest loss and lowest score of the season in a 96-point shellacking at the hands of the Western Bulldogs. The Swans also got a sobering experience last week when Geelong pumped them by seven goals, after having put together an impressive extended stretch of form, which included the scalps of Brisbane and Fremantle. However, Sydney should be far too good for the Eagles who look set to become the first team in VFL/AFL history to finish a season 1-22 as the darkest chapter in their history shows no sign of ending soon.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 43 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 36 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Sydney by 29 points.

GWS v ST KILDA (Giants Stadium, Sunday 12:20pm)
The Saints might have won their past four games, but on closer inspection, they have fallen over the line against battlers Richmond, North Melbourne and Essendon, and required a record three-quarter-time comeback to topple Melbourne – another bottom-10 team. The average winning margin of five points across that period sums it up. Well, this week, albeit buoyed by the re-signing of superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, they are coming up against one of the best teams in the league needing a win to guarantee itself a finals berth. And weren’t the Giants impressive against the Suns last week up at Carrara? There’s a reason why they’ve won 11 of their last 14 games, and with Brent Daniels (adductor) and Jack Buckley (calf) both in the frame to return, they’ll have few issues bursting the Saints’ bubble.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 42 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 18 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: GWS by 27 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v FREMANTLE (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm)
The match of the round sees the Bulldogs tackle the Dockers in a do-or-die winner-takes-all contest. The equation is simple: the winner plays finals, and the loser must rely on Gold Coast losing to both Port Adelaide and Essendon to feature in September, which is a highly unlikely scenario, to say the least. The Dogs seem to find themselves in this situation at this time of year almost every season. But they are in top form at the right time of year, at least, having now won eight of their last 10 games. There’s more than a hint of deja vu for the Dockers as well. After being in the top four with four weeks to go last year, they crashed, burned and fell out of the top eight. Well, they were top four in Round 22 this year, and face the real prospect of dropping out again after their humiliating defeat to the Lions in Perth last week. Veteran Bulldog Adam Treloar could return for his first game since Round 15, while Hayden Young (groin) and Matthew Johnson (ankle) will be pushing their claims for the Dockers. But the Dogs have been so ruthlessly brilliant at Marvel Stadium this year, winning 10 of 12 games there, that they should be the ones guaranteeing themselves finals footy for the eighth time in coach Luke Beveridge’s 11-year tenure, leaving Justin Longmuir and his Dockers pondering what could’ve been yet again.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 25 points.

BRISBANE v HAWTHORN (Gabba, Sunday 7:20pm)
Both of these teams have qualified for the finals, meaning there isn’t as much heat attached to this game as there is with the Dogs-Freo meeting, but the stakes are still massive with a top-four spot up for grabs. If the Lions win, they will guarantee themselves a double chance, and if the Hawks are victorious, they will put themselves in a great position of doing the same thing. Brisbane will be without Eric Hipwood (calf), and most likely Jarrod Berry (shoulder), but should regain Kai Lohmann (calf). As for the Hawks, Harry Morrison (quad) could return. Both teams head into this blockbuster clash in super form. Brisbane has won six of its last eight games, including beating Geelong, Collingwood and Fremantle on the road as well as the Bulldogs, while the Hawks have now won eight of their last 10, claiming the scalps of the Crows, Magpies and Dogs along the way. However, something odd happens to the Lions when they play at home. They have a worse record at the Gabba (6-4) than they do away (9-2-1), and if they revert back to their complacent selves again this week, the hard-running, skilful, defensively-sound Hawks will make them pay.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 20 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 3 points.

GOLD COAST v ESSENDON (Carrara, Wednesday 7:20pm)
In all likelihood, the Suns will need to smash the Bombers by a considerable margin to make the top four in what is their make-up match for the postponed Round 0 clash due to the hurricane. With so much to play for at home against a severely-depleted Essendon line-up, Gold Coast should charge into its first ever finals series with considerable momentum unafraid to take on anyone in September. And who knows? They might even pinch a double chance.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 55 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 36 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 41 points.

SEASON TOTALS
ROCO 149
RONNY 144
ROCKET 138

*all times are local