Brad Sheppard grapples with Geelong’s Cam Guthrie during the Eagles’ last visit to the Cattery in 2016. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

RICHMOND v MELBOURNE (MCG, Wednesday 7.35pm local time)
Just as quickly as the Demons looked like they had arrested their worrying form slump, the same issues which plagued their first three rounds came back to haunt them last week against St Kilda. Melbourne’s poor ball use, lack of leg speed, substandard forward entries, inability to capitalise on dominating general play and disorganised back 50 conspired against it yet again. The Demons are way too easy to score against and when you consider Richmond welcomes back Jack Riewoldt this week to reunite with Tom Lynch up forward, the Demons will almost certainly slump to 1-5 and their season could be over little more than a quarter of the way through. Simon Goodwin’s men are already 0-3 at the MCG this year and are simply incapable of playing the type of footy required to win games at the ground at the moment.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 64 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 32 points.

ESSENDON v COLLINGWOOD (MCG, Thursday 3.20pm local time)
This year marks the 25th edition of what has become the biggest home-and-away game of the season. And while Collingwood has a comfortable head-to-head lead in the traditional Anzac Day game (14-9-1), this year’s instalment marks the first time in a long time where both teams head in on the back of very good form. The Magpies and Bombers are both 3-2 and while Essendon has been impressive with three wins on the trot, last year’s runners-up presents a big step up in class in opposition to what the Dons have come up against during their winning streak. The Bombers play an exciting end-to-end brand of football but will endure their sternest test to date this year on Thursday. If the Dons win, they will announce themselves as a genuine contender, and with Joe Daniher back and Devon Smith and David Zaharakis likely to return, they should head in brimming with confidence. But Collingwood is a serious team which seems to be nearing its full capabilities and will be hard to beat.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 6 points.

PORT ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE (Adelaide Oval, Friday 7.20pm local time)
Usually it takes six or seven weeks before the ladder starts painting an accurate picture of the competition, but one spot that already looks bang on the money is last place. It really is hard to go past North Melbourne as the worst team in the AFL right now, and things don’t get much easier for the Roos this week as they venture to Adelaide Oval to face the in-form Power, fresh from smashing West Coast in Perth. North’s record at the ground is atrocious, having lost all six games there by an average of eight goals. In fact, they’ve lost their last eight games in the city of churches. Port Adelaide is definitely hot and cold, but the Power are close to full fitness and should have no issues accounting for the Roos.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 43 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 28 points.

GOLD COAST v BRISBANE (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
It’s fair to say that when the fixture was released in October, few punters would have excitedly circled this match. Yet here we are six rounds in and both sides have positive win-loss records (3-2), making this arguably the most highly-anticipated “Q Clash” since the first one in 2011. The bubble has burst for both sides in recent weeks, with the Lions copping consecutive eight-plus-goal hammerings and the Suns getting smashed by Adelaide on the weekend. But the Lions’ best will be too hard for the Suns to contain, and while Harris Andrews is a huge loss for Chris Fagan’s men, they will get the job done if they’re able to recapture the exciting form which propelled them to a 3-0 start to the year.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 20 points.

ST KILDA v ADELAIDE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
Adelaide returned to form last week with a much-needed morale-boosting and percentage-boosting win over Gold Coast, but its form line this year has been nowhere near as reliable as St Kilda’s. The Saints have been one of the hottest teams in the AFL, which is an incredible thing to say given the dire pre-season predictions which befell them. They’re working harder than just about every other side in the competition and their pressure has been enormous. Add their pace to the mix and they’re playing a very effective brand of footy with which few teams have coped in 2019. It’s hard to see the Crows all of a sudden becoming that team that figures out how to conquer St Kilda. Wayne Milera (AC joint) is a huge loss for Adelaide as is Jarryn Geary (quad) for the Saints. Adelaide has won its last eight against St Kilda by an average of 56 points, but you can expect the Saints to turn the tables this weekend as their wave of momentum continues unabated.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 10 points.

SYDNEY v GWS (SCG, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
Unlike the all-Queensland affair earlier in the day, the Sydney derby is looming as a lopsided affair. Yes, the Giants suffered a shock loss to Fremantle in Canberra last week, but there’s no way the Swans are capable of doing to GWS what the Dockers did to them, especially in the final quarter as they ran all over the hosts in one of the biggest upsets of 2019 so far. The potential loss of Phil Davis (ankle) would be significant for GWS, especially considering the Giants come up against an in-form Lance Franklin, whom Davis has a good record against. So it could be a huge job for Sam Taylor and/or Adam Tomlinson. But the Giants are sure to regain Toby Greene and they will have too much firepower for the slow and sluggish Swans. Sydney has lost at the SCG nine times in the last 13 months, and the Giants are on course to hand the Swans five consecutive losses at the ground for the first time since 1994.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 33 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 22 points.

FREMANTLE v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Optus Stadium, Saturday 6.10pm local time)
After teasing the footy world with the possibility of returning to their premiership-winning form from 2016 in the opening fortnight of the season, the Bulldogs have fallen in a big hole, one which has seen them lose three games in a row, including contests against Gold Coast and Carlton, who were both expected to finish in the bottom four in 2019. The loss to the Blues on the weekend was especially galling as the perennial strugglers scored a thumping 44-point win – just their fourth in 37 outings – and scored 100 points for the first time in 60 attempts. The Dogs’ small forward line just isn’t working, and they need more tall timber in the team to be any chance of scoring an upset win against Freo. We’ve already seen some crazy results this season, but it would be a big surprise to see the Dockers get done this weekend, especially considering it’s David Mundy’s 300th game. It all came together for Freo’s multi-pronged forward line against GWS, and if the Dockers reproduce that kind of performance, the Dogs stand no chance.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 39 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 34 points.

HAWTHORN v CARLTON (Launceston, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
The Hawks are no guarantee of victory here. This is definitely a danger game, and the Blues have tested Hawthorn in recent times, beating the Hawks in 2017 and pushing them down in Tasmania before losing by three goals in 2016. Hawthorn has an incredible record against Carlton, with 15 wins from their last 16 meetings, but the possible return of Charlie Curnow would be a massive boost for the Blues. However, captain Ben Stratton (concussion) and Liam Shiels (hamstring) are set to be welcomed back into the Hawthorn line-up. Carlton has been competitive in every game so far in 2019 and has its tail up fresh from a huge win over the Bulldogs, but the Hawks should get the job done in a tight one.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 28 points.

GEELONG v WEST COAST (Kardinia Park, Sunday 4.40pm local time)
The Anzac Day clash might be seen as the match of the round by many, but some would argue that the best has been saved for last this week – and it’s a pretty strong argument to make! Two of the strongest teams in the competition, who have both shot out of the blocks as early premiership fancies, locking horns in a mouth-watering blockbuster – it’s hard to believe it’s received the Sunday twilight treatment, which is often reserved for less palatable matches. The Cats head into this contest with a full head of steam after a comfortable win against arch rivals Hawthorn, but curiously, their only loss this year was at their home ground. Furthermore, their four losses there in the last four years have all been against interstate sides. The ground is also the site of one of West Coast’s greatest ever wins, as it fought back from 54 points down late in the third quarter to snatch an incredible three-point triumph in 2006. The Eagles will be hoping for a repeat performance of that, but while they should put in a better performance than their stunningly lacklustre effort against Port Adelaide last week, Geelong in Geelong is always a tough proposition – let alone when it’s sitting on top of the ladder.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 8 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 21
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 22