Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury is set to join Essendon champion Dustin Fletcher on a record-equalling 18 Anzac Day matches on Friday. Photo: AFL MEDIA

MELBOURNE v RICHMOND (MCG, Thursday 7:30pm)
After both teams were two of the most surprising winners last round, some much-needed anticipation and energy has been created for this match because there were significant fears that the Demons and Tigers were going to head into Thursday night with just one win between them. Richmond defied the odds yet again last week to cause the biggest upset of the season by ending Gold Coast’s undefeated start to the year. And Melbourne was unrecognisable from the stagnant, rudderless version of itself in the opening five games during its impressive maiden win of the campaign against Fremantle. If the Demons bring that same synergy and ferocity, and the Tigers replicate the manic pressure it applied to the Suns, this is going to be an entertaining affair. The Demons welcome back key trio Steven May, Bayley Fritsch and Judd McVee, but unfortunately for the Tigers, they lose key defender Noah Balta due to his court-imposed curfew after he was one of the key reasons why they defeated Gold Coast last week.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 26 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 38 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Melbourne by 21 points.

COLLINGWOOD v ESSENDON (MCG, Friday 3:20pm)
The Bombers might’ve won three games in a row, but they were far from convincing against perennial battler West Coast last week, and their victory against Port Adelaide was one of the worst matches of footy one would ever wish to see. On top of that, they now must tackle the rest of the season without their top two ruckmen Nick Bryan (knee) and Sam Draper (Achilles). That means veteran Todd Goldstein will almost certainly be called on to shoulder the ruck duties for the remainder of 2025, starting with the big job against Collingwood’s red-hot Darcy Cameron. The Dons should regain Kyle Langford (hamstring) and are hopeful that Xavier Duursma will be fit to play, after copping a knee in the guts last week, but given the form Collingwood is in, it’s hard to see Essendon emerging triumphant. The ladder-leading Magpies are the form team of the league, having won their last five games against premier Brisbane, runner-up Sydney, preliminary finalist Port Adelaide and elimination finalists Carlton and the Western Bulldogs. While captain Darcy Moore (ear) won’t play, Dan Houston (suspension) and Tim Membrey (managed) are available for the Pies who should reinforce their dominance of the traditional Anzac Day clash in its 30th edition, having won 17 of them.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 32 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 24 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Collingwood by 41 points.

FREMANTLE v ADELAIDE (Optus Stadium, Friday 6:10pm)
The Dockers really are the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of the competition. One never truly knows which team is going to rock up from week to week. As impressive as they were against the Bulldogs in Round 4, their inability to defeat previously winless Sydney and Melbourne, as well as their shocking effort against Geelong in Round 1, expose a very soft underbelly within the team that has been present for quite some time now. Conversely, the Crows look like they’ve finally matured and arrived as a side, and their most recent performance against GWS provides strong evidence of that. And if Josh Rachele (ribs) and Darcy Fogarty (shoulder) both line up, that’ll be a huge bonus for them. Heath Chapman (illness) should return for Fremantle as Jaeger O’Meara (hamstring/foot) makes way. Purely because of how unpredictable the Dockers are, it would come as no surprise to see them turn it on this week after such a disappointing showing against the Demons.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Adelaide by 11 points.

ST KILDA v BRISBANE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1:20pm)
After making such a bright 3-1 start to the year, including wins over preliminary finalists Geelong and Port Adelaide (away), the Saints have returned to earth with a thud after back-to-back thumpings from GWS and the Bulldogs. And things do not get any easier for them this week as they face the 2024 champions on the rebound from their first loss of the season. St Kilda was absolutely obliterated by the Bulldogs, particularly in the middle of the ground, last round, and if there is no obvious improvement in that area, then the Saints can expect an encore performance against one of the strongest midfields in the league. As brilliant as Collingwood was last week, Brisbane also appeared to be lethargic and zapped of energy by the time the final quarter rolled around, and the nine-day break should do them the world of good, especially considering the Saints are playing just six days after their previous match. Gun forward Kai Lohmann (ankle) looks set to return for Brisbane, bolstering their hopes.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 27 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 40 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 31 points.

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PORT ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 3:45pm)
It has quickly gone pear-shaped for the Kangaroos after it appeared they might have turned the corner against Melbourne in Round 2. Since that encouraging result, they have lost four in a row by an average of 59 points, and the coup de grace came last week when Carlton shellacked them by 82 points in what was yet another Good Friday debacle for them. North have now lost their last six on the public holiday by an average of 69 points and even their most optimistic supporter would find it hard to see how they’re going to magically flick the switch against the Power this week, fresh from consecutive wins over Hawthorn and Sydney.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 66 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 28 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 57 points.

GWS v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Manuka Oval, Saturday 7:35pm)
The match of the round will be staged in the nation’s capital this weekend, and what a cracker it promises to be. The Giants are looking to recover from a bizarre blip which saw them muster just 34 points – their lowest score in three years and 10th-lowest in club history – while the Bulldogs, revitalised by the triumphant return of captain Marcus Bontempelli, head into this clash 3-3, having just dismantled the Saints. But it’s not all roses for the Dogs who have lost prodigious key forward Sam Darcy to a knee injury, while GWS could very well be boosted by the returns of Jesse Hogan (calf) and Stephen Coniglio (glute). Expect the Giants to bounce back.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: GWS by 11 points.

GOLD COAST v SYDNEY (Carrara, Sunday 1:10pm)
Having made many footy fans believe that they are finally a team to be taken seriously after 15 years of mediocrity, the Suns went back to their old ways last week, losing to lowly Richmond and suffering their first loss of the year as a result. The good news for Gold Coast is it can pretty much prove whether the bad old days are in the past for good, or if they never really left, depending on how it performs this week against a depleted Sydney outfit. Errol Gulden (ankle), Tom Papley (foot), Callum Mills (foot), Harry Cunningham (foot), Joel Amartey (hamstring), Robbie Fox (calf), Taylor Adams (hamstring) and Logan McDonald (ankle) remain absent for the Swans and therefore if the Suns like to think of themselves as a serious team, they should have few issues getting the W.
RONNY’S TIP: Gold Coast by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Gold Coast by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Gold Coast by 27 points.

CARLTON v GEELONG (MCG, Sunday 3:20pm)
The Blues have certainly put their horrendous opening month behind them with crushing wins over cellar dwellers West Coast and North Melbourne in consecutive weeks, but on Sunday they will really find out if they’ve turned the corner or not as they come up against one of the form teams in the league in Geelong. In fact, Carlton’s record in its last 16 games is 5-11 and all five of those wins have been against either the Eagles, Kangaroos or Tigers. The last time the Blues beat a team other than those three was way back in June last year against, coincidentally, Geelong. The Cats will lose Gryan Miers (concussion) this week, while the Blues are hopeful that Harry McKay (concussion) will be available. Geelong has been mighty impressive this year, particularly in the past two weeks with wins over Adelaide and Hawthorn. The move of Patrick Dangerfield up forward has been a masterstroke and the injection of Bailey Smith has made the Cats look even more ominous than last year.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 20 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Geelong by 33 points.

HAWTHORN v WEST COAST (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 4:40pm)
The Eagles certainly showed some improvement last week as they nearly pipped the Bombers at the death, but they’re not going to get anywhere near the Hawks this week. Having now suffered back-to-back defeats after bursting out of the blocks with a 4-0 start, and being installed as early premiership favourite, Hawthorn will be looking to hit back and hit back hard on Sunday evening. Unfortunately for West Coast, it is going to play the role of sacrificial lamb, and it’s not going to be pretty.
RONNY’S TIP: Hawthorn by 95 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 52 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Hawthorn by 49 points.

SEASON TOTALS
ROCO 41
ROCKET 36
RONNY 33

*all times are local