Taylor Walker celebrates a goal during one of Adelaide’s two upsets wins over arch rival Port Adelaide last year. Photo: AFL MEDIA

ADELAIDE v PORT ADELAIDE (Adelaide Oval, Thursday 7pm)
Rivalry round used to be one of the great concepts that the AFL implemented each season many years ago. And while the idea remains on the shelf for now, it would be fair to say that Round 8 is the unofficial rivalry round for season 2024. Kicking things off this week is arguably the fiercest rivalry in the league right now between SA’s arch enemies the Crows and Power. And after an inexplicable one-year hiatus, this highly-anticipated fixture is back where it belongs in a primetime slot. And after getting a much-needed morale boost against the hapless Kangaroos last week, following their disastrous 1-5 start to the season, the Crows all of a sudden have a sniff in this one against the top-five Power. Port Adelaide’s 10-point win over St Kilda last week came at a heavy price with Aliir Aliir (concussion) and Sam Powell-Pepper (knee) joining Ivan Soldo (knee) and Trent McKenzie (quad) on the sidelines. Incredibly, though, captain Connor Rozee (hamstring) has passed a fitness test and should line up against Adelaide while promising key forward Ollie Lord (knee/tibia) is also in the mix for his first game for 2024. Luke Pedlar (shoulder) will be missing for the Crows in what promises to be an emotion-charged Showdown LV for Adelaide hot on the heels of favourite son Rory Sloane announcing his immediate retirement. The Power are banged up and the Crows have loved upsetting them in recent times, with three wins from their last four meetings, including a double last year when Adelaide failed to make the finals and Port finished the home-and-away season in the top four. With their mojo back, albeit after a big win against a woeful North Melbourne, the Crows are capable of repeating the dose.
RONNY’S TIP: Adelaide by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 6 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 7 points.

CARLTON v COLLINGWOOD (MCG, Friday 7:40pm)
The second part of the unofficial rivalry round takes place 24 hours later when the league’s oldest and most famous rivalry resumes for 265th time. The Blues take on the Magpies and with both teams in decent form, it promises to be an absolute ball-burster of a contest in front of over 90,000 fans. Collingwood hasn’t lost since the third round, and is still catching its breath following its unforgettable draw with Essendon on Anzac Day in front of the fourth-largest home-and-away crowd in VFL/AFL history. Meanwhile, Carlton, which has been battling a lengthy injury list, has been more than admirable in reaching this point with a 5-2 record and fresh from giving the undefeated Cats a late scare. The Blues will hope to have Adam Cerra (hamstring), David Cuningham (calf) and Orazio Fantasia (illness) all available this week. Despite still being without Adam Saad (hamstring), Sam Docherty (knee), Mitch McGovern (hamstring), Caleb Marchbank (hamstring), Jesse Motlop (hamstring), Jack Silvagni (knee) and Lachie Fogarty (wrist), Carlton has been kept afloat by its super midfield group which beat Geelong in clearances and contested possessions last week. If the Blues kicked straighter, they would’ve gone close to winning. Alas, bad kicking is bad footy, as the Magpies found out last week when they were 2.8 at one stage against the Bombers. The Blues have been given an even bigger leg-up in the midfield this week, too, with star Collingwood duo Jordan De Goey (groin) and Tom Mitchell (foot) both ruled out. It’s been 12 years since Carlton strung back-to-back wins together against its old foe, and it should be able to finally achieve that this week.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 12 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Carlton by 15 points.

SYDNEY v GWS (SCG, Saturday 1:45pm)
Part three of rivalry round takes place the following day when one of the most anticipated Sydney derbies since the Giants’ entry into the league 12 years ago is staged. There haven’t been too many times when these sides have met each other when premiership contenders, and with sparkling 6-1 records, and percentage only separating the Swans (second) and GWS (third), this promises to be a must-watch contest. And the big guns are set to return as well with Sydney star Luke Parker (arm) all but clear to play his first game of the year and veteran defender Dane Rampe (hamstring) in contention to return too. Meanwhile, the Giants could welcome back key duo Sam Taylor (concussion) and Stephen Coniglio (knee) for the blockbuster clash, and skipper Toby Greene is a certain starter after serving a one-game suspension. This is an absolute coin-flip job, but GWS has a magnificent record at the SCG, with four wins from its last five games there, and it will show why it is the equal flag favourite in a thriller.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 2 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 2 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: GWS by 5 points.

ST KILDA v NORTH MELBOURNE (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4:35pm)
It’s been a rough old season for the Saints who, putting their mauling at the hands of the Bulldogs to one side, have already been involved in six matches decided by 15 points or less for a gut-wrenching 2-4 record. Well, the good news is they can get a much-needed reprieve this week with an opportunity to fatten up their percentage against the Kangaroos who are nothing short of a rabble for the fifth season in a row. It’s hard to see where North’s next win is going to come from, but it certainly won’t be this week against the Saints.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 39 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 24 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: St Kilda by 41points.

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MELBOURNE v GEELONG (MCG, Saturday 7:30pm)
A tenuous nomination for rivalry round given these are the two oldest football clubs in the world, let alone the VFL/AFL. But more importantly, this is one of the games of the weekend between two heavyweights of the competition. After a really impressive four-game winning streak, the Demons haven’t been overly convincing in their past two matches against Brisbane and Richmond, but they are still in the top four, which is a great sign for them. Meanwhile, the evergreen Cats have found the fountain of youth to be sitting atop the ladder as the last remaining undefeated side. Their last two wins against Brisbane and Carlton have been their standouts so far. And the great news for them is champion defender Tom Stewart (concussion) is expected to return, although inspirational captain Patrick Dangerfield (hamstring) is set for another lengthy stint on the sidelines. However, the Cats have already shown they can manage quite well without him, winning all three matches this year when he has been absent. Melbourne’s forward line continues to be the subject of much debate, and could be set to receive yet another facelift with off-season recruit Shane McAdam getting through his VFL return unscathed last week. This promises to be a spectacular match-up, and a potential grand final preview, but it’s too hard to go against the Cats given the form they’re in.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 8 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 10 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Melbourne by 9 points.

WEST COAST v ESSENDON (Optus Stadium, Saturday 6:10pm)
Is this another contender for rivalry round due to the famous Kevin Sheedy jacket-waving moment? OK, that’s way too tenuous. The Bombers have been unrecognisable since getting smashed by Port Adelaide in Gather Round. Super wins over the Bulldogs and Crows, followed by a dramatic draw with the reigning premiers, has got their season back on track and catapulted them into the top eight. They’ve developed a gritty, hard edge and their resolve to never throw in the towel has been admirable for most of the season. However, they are presented with a tricky challenge this week in the form of the revitalised Eagles who won back-to-back matches for the first time since July 2021, before going down to the Suns, and do not look like the same side that resembled Fitzroy last year. With the likes of Elliot Yeo and Jeremy McGovern fit and firing again, and young sensation Harley Reid back after being rested last week, West Coast will provide a solid test for the surging Bombers. Essendon could be boosted by the returns of Archie Perkins (hamstring) and Matt Guelfi (calf), while key defender Tom Barrass returns for the Eagles from suspension. Essendon appears to be maturing with each passing week, and should be good enough to win, but it certainly won’t be a walk in the park.
RONNY’S TIP: Essendon by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Essendon by 18 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Essendon by 11 points.

RICHMOND v FREMANTLE (MCG, Sunday 1pm)
Just because the Dockers played the Tigers at this very ground 29 years ago in their first ever AFL match does not make this a rivalry round nomination. Stop it, already! Fremantle was very impressive last week in its 24-point win over the Bulldogs, but it’ll count for diddly squat if it cannot repeat the dose against a decimated Richmond side this week. After all, the previous week the Dockers were stunned by the Eagles so if they want to be considered a finals contender, they simply have no choice but to take care of the Tigers this week. Jacob Hopper (hamstring) is the latest addition to Richmond’s massive injury list which already featured Tim Taranto (wrist), Tom Lynch (hamstring), Dion Prestia (hamstring), Noah Balta (knee), Jack Ross (foot) and Josh Gibcus (knee). Conversely, the Dockers’ forward line could receive a double boost from Jye Amiss and Sam Switkowski who both missed last week due to concussion. The Tigers will have a crack, but they’re ripe for the picking and there are no excuses for the Dockers who rediscovered their attacking flair last week, have won three of their last five at the MCG and have former skipper Nat Fyfe back in great form.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 16 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Fremantle by 23 points.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v HAWTHORN (Marvel Stadium, Sunday 4pm)
No. The Veale deal which saw Jade Rawlings move to The Kennel does not make this a rivalry. Come on, now. Unlike last year when the Hawks were a bottom team but more often than not tested their opposition, as evidenced by late wins against eventual grand finallists Collingwood and Brisbane, there’s none of that this year for them to hang their hats on. They look almost as bad and uncompetitive as North Melbourne, which is saying something. The Bulldogs are no strangers to stunning upset losses, but, really, this one should be a fait accompli for them.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 34 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 32 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 27 points.

BRISBANE v GOLD COAST (Gabba, Sunday 7:10pm)
Alright, now this is a genuine rivalry match. And what a fascinating crescendo to the round it promises to be. It’s fair to say this is one of the most consequential Q-Clashes since the Suns became an AFL team in 2011. The Lions’ finals aspirations, let alone their premiership ambitions, are hanging by a thread following their 2-5 start to the season. This is as good as a do-or-die match for Chris Fagan’s men. But on the flip side, the Suns are no longer the easybeats of yesteryear and with four wins from their first seven games to straddle the top eight, they are going to make Brisbane earn its 2024 survival. The Lions are set to regain ruckman Oscar McInerney (concussion) and Connor Budarick (hamstring) is available for the Suns. This is a very winnable game for Gold Coast, but Brisbane gets one last chance to prove it wants to remain in the finals hunt.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 13 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 28 points.
ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 19 points.

SEASON TOTALS
ROCO 41
RONNY 40
ROCKET 40

*all times are local