Brisbane’s Lachie Neale shows the Giants a clean pair of heels during the Lions’ win over GWS last year. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

GEELONG v COLLINGWOOD (Optus Stadium, Thursday 6.10pm local time)
Footy returns to Perth for the first time in four months and to celebrate the huge occasion, the locals will be treated to a huge clash between … the Cats and Magpies? Yes, that’s correct. But they’ll only have to wait another three days to see the Eagles and Freo duke it out in Western Derby 51. It will be great to see a maximum of 30,000 fans at Optus Stadium on Thursday, and they’re going to be treated to a fair entree with two of the best teams in the competition battling each other. After a two-week hiccup, the Pies put their off-field dramas behind them by flexing their muscles with a comprehensive performance against Hawthorn last week. Meanwhile, the Cats have won their last three games, including an incredible comeback against the Lions in round six which was inspired by Patrick Dangerfield. Collingwood regains Jordan De Goey, while the Cats suffer a big blow with the loss of Mitch Duncan (hamstring). This is a tough game to call, but at their best the Magpies seem to be a stronger team and their connection with their forward line looked much better last week.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 2 points.

ESSENDON v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Metricon Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
The Bombers are slowly but surely developing a reputation as a very hard nut to crack. With four wins and one loss (by one point), it’s been a super start to the year as they find themselves in the top four with a game in hand. A lot of that is down to how structured they’ve become, and that has led to them being one of the toughest teams to play against, especially with their backline so well-organised and having developed really good chemistry. But the problem is that their injury/suspension list is mounting – potentially to critical mass proportions. Dylan Shiel (suspended) now joins Dyson Heppell (ankle), Jake Stringer (ankle), Patrick Ambrose (foot) and Joe Daniher (groin/calf) on the sidelines, while Conor McKenna (finger) is in doubt too. This match looms as the ultimate test of Essendon’s attempt to become a genuine system-over-personnel type of team. The Bulldogs are coming off their worst performance of the year, but it was probably an aberration if you look at their results over the past month. On the rebound, Luke Beveridge’s men should probably be a touch too good.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 8 points.

GWS v BRISBANE (Giants Stadium, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
It’s always must-watch stuff when two premiership fancies lock horns, and this contest will be no exception. With both of these teams occupying the top two spots in the past four rounds for scoring once entering forward 50, the side which can create more opportunities for its forward line will go a long way to winning – making the battle of the midfield vital (as cliched as that sounds). And this will be a battle between two of the game’s best engine rooms and offensive units, so entertainment is all but guaranteed. The ground won’t hold any fears for the Lions either as they scored their one and only win there last year in round 16, and vengeance for their thrilling semi-final loss to GWS will doubtless be in the back of their minds. The Giants are still the outright premiership favourite, despite their stop-start season, and we’re all kind of waiting for them to spring to life and justify their standing with the bookies. Playing the best teams seems to bring the best out of the Giants and facing another flag contender on their home deck provides them a golden opportunity to send out a reminder to the rest of the competition they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 9 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 12 points.

SYDNEY v GOLD COAST (SCG, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
Season 2020 is quickly going from bad to worse for the Swans with star players Josh Kennedy (knee) and Isaac Heeney (ankle) added to their already-bulging injury list. One thing you can’t accuse them of is not battling out their games in spirited fashion, but their ability to win games is becoming increasingly diminished. Aside from the absence of Matt Rowell (shoulder), the Suns are basically full strength and are in better form than John Longmire’s men. Returning to the scene of arguably its best ever win will undoubtedly provide an additional boost for Gold Coast as the Swans stare down their 16th loss in three seasons at their home ground.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 16 points.

RICHMOND v NORTH MELBOURNE (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 7.40pm local time)
The less said about the Tigers’ last win the better, but a big positive to be taken out of the putrid spectacle that was their meeting with the Swans was that they managed to come away with the four points despite a lengthy list of key absentees. They’ll be going to into battle again without five of their best players in Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Shane Edwards (personal), Bachar Houli (personal), Dion Prestia (ankle) and Toby Nankervis (ankle), while David Astbury (knee) is unlikely. But they’ve developed a habit of winning games without a chunk of their best players in the last few seasons, so they won’t be daunted by the prospect of facing the Kangaroos this week. North has now lost its last four games and the poor quality of their forward entries was especially glaring last week. Richmond is ranked No.1 for tackle differential in the midfield while the struggling Roos are 16th, and with Ben Cunnington (back), Jack Ziebell (hamstring), Tarryn Thomas (ankle) and Jed Anderson (quad) all under a cloud, it’s hard to see them stopping the Tigers.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 22 points.

CARLTON v PORT ADELAIDE (Gabba, Sunday 1.05pm local time)
The Blues are back in the top eight for the first time in seven years following their stunning nine-goal victory over the Bulldogs last week. It’s the best Carlton has looked in a long time and it all came together for their forward line of Eddie Betts, Harry McKay, Jack Martin, Michael Gibbons, Mitch McGovern and Levi Casboult. But as promising as the Blues’ upward trajectory is looking, they face the toughest task in footy at the moment in the form of Port Adelaide, which is sitting pretty in top spot following a hard-fought win over GWS. It was a result for the Power that went a long way to proving their legitimacy following a timid outing against the Lions the previous week. Carlton is as exciting as it is unpredictable, but with key duo Patrick Cripps (shoulder) and Marc Murphy (hip) heading into the weekend under a cloud after finishing the win over the Dogs on the bench, it would be a huge effort for it to replicate last week’s brilliant performance against the hottest team in the AFL.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 20 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 6 points.

HAWTHORN v MELBOURNE (Giants Stadium, Sunday 3.35pm local time)
The Demons were able to momentarily stop their season from becoming irretrievable with a gritty victory over Gold Coast last week, thanks largely to a more settled looking line-up which was aided by good decisions at the selection table. But they’re going to have to do a lot more than that to prove their campaign is back on track. The Hawks might be coming off a pair of humbling losses, but they’re still 3-3 having already faced all of last year’s top five teams. Shaun Burgoyne, Mitch Lewis and Jarman Impey could all be in the mix this week and help Hawthorn get back into the winners’ circle.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 20 points.

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST (Optus Stadium, Sunday 4.35pm local time)
Fresh from recording one of the best wins in their 26-year history, the Dockers are riding high upon their return to WA. After a 0-4 start, including a few near misses, Freo looks as though it’s turning the corner with results now starting to go its way. But with Nat Fyfe (leg/hamstring), Sean Darcy (concussion) and Hayden Young (ankle) all in varying degrees of doubt, Fremantle’s job of making it three wins in a row could be a tough one. The Eagles also have their tails up after finishing hub life with a 3-3 record and they look primed for another assault on a flag. Expect Justin Longmuir’s team to put up a fight, but it probably won’t be enough to stop West Coast in front of a maximum of 30,000 fans and improving its record against its arch rivals to 31-20.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 30 points.

ADELAIDE v ST KILDA (Adelaide Oval, Monday 7.10pm local time)
It’s hard to see where the Crows’ first win is going to come from, and with captain Rory Sloane now out for 4-6 weeks with a broken thumb, victory looks as far away as it has all year for Matthew Nicks’ men. The Saints will be absolutely steaming after squandering a six-goal lead to an undermanned Fremantle side last week, and will be hell-bent on marking the return of Monday night footy with a strong showing. Adelaide might be back at home, but a club worst 0-7 start to a season looks inevitable.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 24 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 18 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 30
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 33