Bulldog Ed Richards and Docker Michael Walters battle for the ball in last year’s elimination final. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FREMANTLE v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Optus Stadium, Friday 6.10pm local time)
An intriguing battle is set to kick off the new round as two teams desperate to even up their win-loss ledgers lock horns. Both the Dockers and the Bulldogs are 2-3, and for the loser, a two-game gap between their win and loss columns a quarter of the way into the season will certainly make it challenging to make up lost ground in the pursuit of finals footy. Freo might be the home team this week, but they have been anything but impressive in the opening five rounds. They struggled to beat lowly West Coast and Gold Coast, and their three losses were suffered in extremely disappointing fashion. Conversely, after an ordinary opening fortnight, the Bulldogs have turned things around with back-to-back wins over Brisbane and Richmond before pushing the Power right to the end in Adelaide last weekend. The Dogs look like a much more reliable team at the moment, and they don’t lose anything out of the like-for-like replacement of Alex Keath for Josh Bruce (ribs). Meanwhile, Sam Switkowski (calf) is a big blow for the Dockers. Luke Beveridge’s men are good enough to avenge their elimination final capitulation last year to the same team on the same ground.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 9 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v WEST COAST (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 1.15pm local time)
The news for the injury-hit Eagles just continues to worsen as they must now head into battle this weekend without Elliot Yeo (groin), Brady Hough (unspecified) and Noah Long (soreness) on top of the sizeable group of first-choice players who are already unavailable. They do regain Luke Shuey, but that will prove to be a consolation prize against the rejuvenated Port Adelaide which has been in terrific form in the past fortnight. It’ll take more than the absence of Charlie Dixon (knee) for Ken Hinkley’s team to suffer a gargantuan upset loss. The Power have only won one of six games against the Eagles at Adelaide Oval, and this match provides a golden opportunity for them to improve that record.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 57 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 36 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 33 points.

GWS v BRISBANE (Manuka Oval, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
The Giants are another team who are just going, and after struggling to overcome cellar dweller Hawthorn last weekend, must now prepare for their biggest challenge of the season so far in premiership contender Brisbane. It took the Lions a little while to get going in 2023, but consecutive comprehensive wins against Collingwood and North Melbourne underscored why so many predicted them to play off in this year’s grand final. Brisbane has far too much firepower for GWS, and while it would be stunning to see the Lions’ forwards afforded the acres of space that they were by the Kangaroos last week, it’ll just be a matter of time before they overwhelm the Giants in the nation’s capital.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 34 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 22 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 27 points.

GEELONG v SYDNEY (Kardinia Park, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Swans have pencilled in this match ever since the fixture was announced late last year. The last time they played the Cats they were humiliated on grand final day by 81 points – the equal-fifth biggest margin in grand final history. That result will be rubbed in their faces again on Saturday night when the Cats unveil their premiership flag in what will be their first game in Geelong for the year. It will provide extra motivation for the Swans to ruin the Cats’ big night, and they are more than a sniff of doing so. Geelong has rebounded well after a horror first three games, but their last two wins, as impressive as they were, have been against two of the worst teams in the competition in Hawthorn and West Coast. This week the Cats will be put to the test by another top-four contender, and we will get a clearer indication of whether their form of the opening three weeks, or the last two, will be the norm for them as the season unfolds. Geelong rarely loses on its home turf, but it does happen, and Sydney, as it has proven multiple times in the past, is more than capable of causing an upset down there.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 6 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 32 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Geelong by 25 points.

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HAWTHORN v ADELAIDE (Launceston, Sunday 1.10pm local time)
The surrounds of Tasmania might slightly improve the Hawks’ chances of defying the odds, but they’ll need a lot more than quasi-home-ground advantage to get the job done against one of the hottest teams in the AFL at the moment. Hawthorn was much improved against GWS, but still fell short at the death. Meanwhile, Adelaide is in scintillating form having won their last three games by an average of seven goals, the most impressive of those performances coming last week as they emphatically handed Carlton its first loss of 2023 to the tune of 56 points. The Crows haven’t looked this potent since 2017 – the last time they made a grand final – and they have now scored at least 100 points three games in a row for the first time since that season too. It could be a long day at the office for the Hawks.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 40 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Adelaide by 20 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 31 points.

CARLTON v ST KILDA (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
This match will potentially be won in the coach’s box more than anywhere else in the Docklands venue. In the first five games, newish St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has proven he is still a brilliant tactician, winning four and losing one by a goal against flag contender Collingwood – all while dealing with a massive injury list. And if his counterpart Michael Voss has the Blues moving the ball forward to Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay as predictably as they did against Adelaide last week, then the likes of Callum Wilkie and Josh Battle will have an absolute field day intercepting Carlton inside-50s. Adam Saad (calf) is a massive blow for the Blues and while the Saints will have to make do without surprise packet forward Anthony Caminiti due to suspension, they do regain Jack Steele and Tim Membrey. The Blues need to think outside the box this weekend, otherwise they will just be sleepwalking towards the edge of the cliff with confused looks on their faces.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: St Kilda by 25 points.

GOLD COAST v NORTH MELBOURNE (Carrara, Sunday 4.40pm local time)
It appears as though the Suns are on the verge of sending yet another season down the drain. Although this year, at least, they look like doing so much quicker than usual. Ordinarily, they start a season on fire before evaporating into thin air. In 2023, they seem to be wanting to kill the suspense as early as possible. But if they are to salvage something from this disastrous opening quarter of the season, then they simply must double their win tally against North Melbourne whose true colours are starting to shine through after a euphoric opening fortnight. Reality is starting to set in for the Kangaroos, and Gold Coast will be stung by the manner in which it let slip last round’s match against Fremantle from a near unassailable position. Having bolstered their squad with Jarrod Witts, Levi Casboult and Joel Jeffrey, the Suns will have no excuses taking care of North which is missing Jy Simpkin (hand).
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 28 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 35 points.

MELBOURNE v RICHMOND (MCG, Monday 7.20pm local time)
The Demons were stunned last week by a rampaging Essendon outfit which provided a timely wake-up call for Simon Goodwin’s men. Melbourne might’ve thought it was travelling pretty well with huge wins over the Bulldogs, Sydney and West Coast in the opening month, but the Bombers reminded them that if they take it easy by even a couple of per cent in this competition, they will be made to look foolish. That’s exactly what happened at Adelaide Oval, and Goodwin would doubtlessly have driven that message home to his players on more than one occasion this week. The additions of premiership stars Max Gawn, Jake Lever and Michael Hibberd to their squad will definitely help their cause against the Tigers who are looking increasingly like a shadow of their former great selves. Wracked by terrible discipline and a midfield that simply isn’t powerful as it once was, Richmond has been exposed badly on more than one occasion by a premiership threat this year, and that trend will almost certainly continue on Monday night.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 31 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 18 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Melbourne by 29 points.

COLLINGWOOD v ESSENDON (MCG, Tuesday 3.20pm local time)
For the first time in a very long time, the match of the round will be staged on the biggest day of the home-and-away season – Anzac Day. Not since 2000 have the Magpies and Bombers both been in the top four heading into this most solemn of days on the footy calendar, and the 28th edition of this famous contest promises to be one for the ages. Thanks largely to Essendon, the anticipation for this match has risen considerably. Most people had Collingwood playing off in the finals in their pre-season prognostications, so the Pies have held up their end of the bargain by winning four of their first five matches. However, it’s the Bombers who have been the surprise packets by sporting the same win-loss record as the Pies to sit second on the ladder. New coach Brad Scott has done a great job so far, and for the first time in a long time, Essendon supporters know what to expect from their team on a weekly basis. The Bombers’ output has hardly wavered over the course of the first five weeks, which has come as a welcome relief to the black-and-red faithful so used to erratic formlines. Although they scored one of their best wins of the past five years last week against Melbourne, the Dons will be put straight back to the test on Tuesday against a Collingwood team that looks every bit a flag threat, too. A tense contest appears to be in the offing and it’s hard to see the final margin exceeding three goals either way.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 11 points.

SEASON TOTALS
RONNY 27
ROCO 23
ROCKET 23