Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron, a huge factor in the Lions’ top-of-the-table clash with Port Adelaide. Photo: AFL MEDIA

CARLTON v ST KILDA (Marvel Stadium, Thursday 7.40pm local time)
As if season 2020 hadn’t already thrown up enough curveballs to make Sandy Koufax proud, just three days before round five was due to commence, three games were either moved or totally changed due to the strict restrictions imposed on Victorian travellers by the Queensland government. That means the Blues and Saints now face off on Thursday night instead of Saturday. And while they now both are coming off five-day breaks instead of seven-day breaks, they at least get to play in prime time, which is probably a just reward for the improvement they’ve shown so far in season 2020. But St Kilda has been more impressive than Carlton. While the Blues have found a way to grind out results with sheer grit and determination, the Saints are equipped with more pace and flair thanks largely to their influx of new recruits. Brad Hill, Zak Jones and Dan Butler in particular have made an instant impact. Jones (hamstring) will be missing this week, but captain Jarryn Geary returns. The Saints also are finding it a lot easier to score once the ball enters their forward 50 compared to the Blues, with the likes of Butler, Tim Membrey, Jack Billings and Max King causing havoc.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 16 points.

COLLINGWOOD v ESSENDON (MCG, Friday 7.50pm local time)
The Magpies’ preparation for this clash has had a huge spanner thrown in the works with Steele Sidebottom and Lynden Dunn copping four-game and one-game suspensions respectively for breaching the league’s COVID-19 protocols. It’s a distraction the club could do without, but Collingwood is certainly no stranger to shooting itself in the foot. Sidebottom is one of its best players and his absence is a huge blow, while Dunn’s loss deprives Nathan Buckley a reliable option to help cover the devastating loss of star backman Jeremy Howe (knee). But the good news is the Magpies should regain midfield dynamo Adam Treloar (calf). The Bombers have their own personnel issues with Zach Merrett (suspended) and Patrick Ambrose (foot) both unavailable, but Conor McKenna could return. Essendon might be 2-1, but it’s had to scratch and scrap for that win-loss record against teams not expected to figure in the finals. Collingwood is the first heavyweight the Bombers will face in 2020 and John Worsfold’s team could be taught a lesson.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 33 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 28 points.

WEST COAST v SYDNEY (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
The Eagles have been given a big reprieve as they not only avoid facing Richmond (which admittedly isn’t in the best form) this week but instead take on the Swans and receive an extra two days’ break. Could this be the psychological boost they’ve needed to jolt them out of the funk they find themselves in? It wouldn’t surprise if it did the trick. West Coast has been woeful, and really handled its situation poorly, but with Jeremy McGovern (suspension/ankle) almost certainly back in the side, it has a huge opportunity now to get its season back on track. Sydney is a plucky team and can impress on its day, but the Eagles are basically playing for their season this week and if they lose their fourth game in a row, then they probably don’t deserve to play finals this year.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 2 points.

GEELONG v GOLD COAST (GMHBA Stadium, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
The Suns continued their Cinderella start to the season last week with their third win in a row against Fremantle. They were made to work a lot harder than in their first two wins, but still got the job done after pulling away in the final quarter. With 30 AFL Coaches Association votes already, four-gamer Matt Rowell is arguably the story of the season, and incredibly, is one of the favourites for the Brownlow Medal. There’s no doubt he and his enthusiastic teammates come up against their biggest challenge to date this week. While the Cats haven’t been performing very well in recent games, it’s been five years since they dropped back-to-back matches at their home ground. Gold Coast certainly isn’t the walkover it has been for most of its existence, but with club legends Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood playing their 350th and 300th games respectively, it’s hard to imagine Geelong not getting the job done.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 36 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v NORTH MELBOURNE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
It appears as though the Bulldogs team that most of the footy community expected to see in 2020 is finally starting to emerge following a pair of impressive wins against the Sydney teams. Marcus Bontempelli in particular is leading his side superbly and conversely, North Melbourne has really been struggling without Ben Cunnington. The Kangaroos will be absolutely desperate for him to return from his back injury, especially with captain Jack Ziebell (hamstring) in doubt, while the horribly out-of-form Ben Brown needs a big game. North has left its run too late in the last couple of weeks, and if it finds itself down by over 20 points at three-quarter time again against the Doggies, it’ll be three losses in a row for the boys from Arden Street.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 8 points.

BRISBANE v PORT ADELAIDE (Gabba, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
The most anticipated game of the season is upon us, with the red-hot Lions taking on the undefeated Power. These are two of the best teams at scoring from clearances, so it promises to be a fascinating contest. Port Adelaide has been very impressive so far this year, and franked its form with an eight-goal spanking of pre-season premiership fancy West Coast last week. Fresh from a six-goal haul, Charlie Dixon is in career-best form, but he will face his biggest test this week if, as expected, All-Australian backman Harris Andrews lines up on him. Brisbane is well and truly back in business after a slow start and its attacking potency is on the verge of returning to full capacity if it can just fix up its accuracy. At home in front of a decent-sized parochial crowd, the Lions are primed to burst Port Adelaide’s bubble.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 9 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 6 points.

ADELAIDE v FREMANTLE (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 1.05pm local time)
From a top-of-the-table blockbuster to a battle of the cellar dwellers in the space of 15 hours. The Crows and Dockers will both be aiming for their first win of the year on Sunday and it’s hard to see Adelaide breaking its duck. Freo might be winless, but at least it’s been competitive in all four of its losses. Justin Longmuir’s men seem to be right on the verge of securing their first win, while the Crows on the other hand are in freefall. If it wasn’t for the Lions’ woeful goalkicking last week, Adelaide would’ve lost by 80-90 points. Things will be made harder for the Dockers without inspirational skipper Nat Fyfe (hamstring), but they’re playing with a lot more spirit than Adelaide as their 27-point difference in percentage reflects.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 24 points.

MELBOURNE v RICHMOND (MCG, Sunday 3.35pm local time)
It’s hard to understand why Richmond’s manic defensive intensity, pressure and ability to keep the ball locked in its forward 50 have all evaporated so dramatically this year. Maybe the motivation levels just aren’t there anymore after dominating the competition for so long. But we will get a very clear indication as to how fair dinkum the Tigers are about season 2020 this weekend. The Tigers’ finals hopes are precariously placed with a 1-2-1 record, and another loss would make things difficult – even for the reigning premier. As Melbourne has shown in back-to-back thrillers, it isn’t a pushover, but its players are susceptible to making terrible decisions at crucial times as well as suffering from lengthy concentration lapses, while its forward structure still looks shoddy at best. If ever the Tigers were going to turn the corner it would be on Sunday, especially after being gifted an extra three days’ rest thanks to the redrawn fixture.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 30 points.

GWS v HAWTHORN (Giants Stadium, Sunday 6.10pm local time)
The Hawks’ up-and-down season continued on Sunday when they escaped with a thrilling four-point win against a fast-finishing North Melbourne. They really are one of the harder teams in the competition to get a read on, and they’re going to have to make sure their arousal levels are at their optimum this week. The Giants look like they’ve turned the corner with a gutsy two-point victory over flag threat Collingwood, aided greatly by inclusions Toby Greene and Josh Kelly as well as Lachie Whitfield, who played a full game. The Hawks do have the wood over the Giants, winning both meetings in 2019, but GWS should be good enough to get the job done on its home turf.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 4 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 19
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 20