Michael Walters was the matchwinner when Fremantle last took on Collingwood in June last year. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

WESTERN BULLDOGS v RICHMOND (Metricon Stadium, Wednesday 7.10pm local time)
The footy festival is here! We are about to be treated to 20 consecutive days of footy and it all kicks off with a ripping contest on the Gold Coast as the resurgent Bulldogs take on reigning premier Richmond. Both sides head into this contest with quite hefty injury lists, so obviously this game will be won by the team that can cover their losses better – and both clubs have done a good job of that in recent weeks. The Doggies will be without Lachie Hunter (personal reasons), Josh Dunkley (ankle), Aaron Naughton (ankle), Taylor Duryea (quad), Bailey Dale (ankle) and Tory Dickson (quad), while the Tigers won’t have Shane Edwards (personal reasons), Dion Prestia (ankle), Bachar Houli (personal reasons), Nick Vlastuin (calf), David Astbury (knee), Josh Caddy (hamstring) or Toby Nankervis (ankle) in their line-up. Quite a bit of firepower indeed. The Bulldogs will be buoyed by their recent record against Richmond, having won five of their last six encounters, but the depleted Tigers pushed GWS to the end last week and if not for poor goalkicking, probably could have pinched the win. Richmond to get the points in a thriller.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 4 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 6 points.

MELBOURNE v PORT ADELAIDE (Gabba, Thursday 7.50pm local time)
This promises to be an absolutely intriguing encounter. The Demons have seemingly turned the corner in the last three weeks with a pair of impressive wins and a nail-biting loss to premiership contender Brisbane, while the Power, although still occupying top spot on the ladder, might just be starting to show the first signs of a decline – they fell over the line against Carlton two rounds ago and were blown away by the Saints in the final term last week after a tense first three quarters. Port Adelaide is also beginning to feel the pinch injury-wise while Melbourne is basically at full strength. Ken Hinkley’s men now have to travel back to Queensland, too, as the Dees continue to settle into their new surrounds. Last weekend, Melbourne broke even with the Lions’ star-studded midfield in scores from clearances, while Port Adelaide was outscored by 35 points by St Kilda via the same source. It seems as though the signs are pointing towards a Melbourne victory.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 19 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 8 points.

CARLTON v HAWTHORN (Optus Stadium, Friday 3.40pm local time)
For the third time in four seasons, the Hawks appear to be in terminal decline, having suffered their fourth loss on the trot – this time to fellow struggler Sydney. Master coach Alastair Clarkson might turn the ship around eventually, as he did in 2018 with a top-four finish and last year when he got his side to win six of its last eight games, but for the time being it’s not looking good. Carlton certainly isn’t a four-quarter team just yet, and is still a shaky proposition, as evidenced by the Blues’ heartbreaking loss to Port Adelaide in round seven and their narrow victory over North last weekend. But the Blues are definitely playing with more enthusiasm and dare than the Hawks, whose foot skills are arguably the worst they’ve been under Clarkson. While the potential returns of Luke Breust (jaw), Jarman Impey (knee) and Jon Ceglar (toe) would be a welcome boost for Hawthorn, it still probably won’t be enough to end its rut. And if Clarkson thinks the umpires have been frustrating in season 2020, he could be in for a rude awakening this week after Carlton superstar Patrick Cripps’ off-the-ball treatment by taggers received extensive coverage and scrutiny from the media.
RONNY’S TIP: Carlton by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Hawthorn by 2 points.

ESSENDON v BRISBANE (Metricon Stadium, Friday 8.10pm local time)
The Bombers might not be the prettiest side in the competition, but to their credit they continue to find ways to grind out victories – a far cry from Essendon teams of yesteryear – and their newfound hard edge has them sitting pretty with a 5-2 record with a game in hand. They have been blessed in a sense as they have played mainly lower-ranked sides so far in 2020 while battling an extensive injury/suspension list, but they’ll be facing top teams regularly in their next block of four matches, beginning with the Lions this round. Unfortunately for the Bombers, their personnel issues continue to grow with Jayden Laverde (ankle) and Kyle Langford (suspension) the latest players to be unavailable, although Dylan Shiel does return. The Lions aren’t exactly unscathed this week either with Daniel Rich (hamstring) and Dan McStay (suspension) both out, as well as ruck duo Stefan Martin (back) and Archie Smith (ankle) – which is crucial as big Bomber Tom Bellchambers returned to form in a big way against Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien. Still, Chris Fagan’s side has enough quality in its line-up to account for the depleted Dons.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 16 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 28 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v ADELAIDE (Metricon Stadium, Saturday 2.35pm local time)
You would not want to be Rhyce Shaw or Matthew Nicks if your side loses this one. When the two bottom sides meet, it always attracts a heightened macabre interest from the wider footy-following community – it’s almost a celebrated footy tradition. The Kangaroos head into this contest having lost their last six games, while the Crows are enduring an 11-game losing streak which dates back to last year, and includes their worst ever start to a season (0-8). Nicks’ men must be thinking what do they have to do to get a win after failing to fall over the line against an Essendon team missing seven of its best 22 last week. As for the Kangas, after being humiliated by Richmond in round seven, they showed some fighting spirit to claw their way back from five goals down to almost beat Carlton. Brad Crouch (hamstring) is a big loss for Adelaide and if, as expected, it also loses Tom Doedee (hamstring) as well, it’ll probably make things too hard for the wooden spoon favourite – even with North’s lengthy injury list taken into account.
RONNY’S TIP: North Melbourne by 11 points.
ROCO’S TIP: North Melbourne by 10 points.

ST KILDA v SYDNEY (Gabba, Saturday 5.10pm local time)
Full credit to the Swans for continuing to fight out every game, for which they were rewarded with a gutsy win over Hawthorn last week, ending their four-game losing streak. Coach John Longmire understands with so many key absentees, this year is all about the youngsters, and by continually blooding them, he is forming the nucleus of Sydney’s next team that will challenge. However, we are in the here and now, and that’s a place and time where St Kilda is becoming one of the most impressive teams in the AFL. Fresh from back-to-back wins at Adelaide Oval, including a five-goal defeat of ladder-leading Port Adelaide, after losing their first 10 games at the venue, the Saints are flying high and are brimming with confidence. Their ruck tandem of Rowan Marshall and Paddy Ryder is clicking beautifully and they’ve added a hard-nosed aspect to their game in recent weeks which has seen them execute the fundamentals more consistently on top of showcasing the wealth of flair and skill they possess. It’s a potent combination and should be far too tough for the young Swans to deal with.
RONNY’S TIP: St Kilda by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: St Kilda by 30 points.

WEST COAST v GEELONG (Optus Stadium, Saturday 6.10pm local time)
Premiership favouritism with the bookies is a bit like a game of musical chairs at the moment, but right now the Eagles are the flavour of the week and rightfully so after the way they dismantled Collingwood on Sunday. It was like watching a tape from 2018, such was the Eagles’ dominance in what was arguably the most complete performance by any team this season. With four wins in a row and plenty of games in Perth to come, the Eagles are looking as good as any team for the flag. Despite their lengthy list of absentees, the Cats have found a way to be in the top four approaching the halfway mark of the season. But with Tom Hawkins now added to that list, it’s hard to see how they can get in the way of the rampaging Eagles, even if captain Joel Selwood returns from a hamstring injury.
RONNY’S TIP: West Coast by 33 points.
ROCO’S TIP: West Coast by 26 points.

GOLD COAST v GWS (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 3.35pm local time)
The Suns are definitely not the easybeats they’ve been for most of their existence and again fell just short against top-four threats the Western Bulldogs last week. But whether they can consistently match it with the top teams remains to be seen, and GWS is certainly one of those teams. The Giants have made a shaky start to 2020, but, like Gold Coast, find themselves 4-4 and are fresh from a gritty win over the Tigers. We could look back at that result at the end of the season and highlight it as the turning point in the Giants’ season. With Zac Williams (hamstring), Callan Ward (knee) and Adam Kennedy (hamstring) all in the frame to return from injury this week, a week after Toby Greene came back and produced a match-winning performance, momentum appears to be building for Leon Cameron’s men, so a ninth consecutive win against their fellow expansion club should be expected.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: GWS by 36 points.

FREMANTLE v COLLINGWOOD (Optus Stadium, Sunday 4.10pm local time)
The Magpies certainly copped a rude awakening from the Eagles last week, but it’s probably fair to treat that performance as an exception rather than the rule. And yes, they will be missing Scott Pendlebury (quad), Jordan De Goey (finger) and Jeremy Howe (knee) for an extended period now, but the return of Steele Sidebottom from a COVID-related suspension could not have come at a better time. Expect the Collingwood vice-captain to put in a big performance, because he certainly owes his teammates. Captain Nat Fyfe will be a welcome addition for the Dockers, but a host of other key injuries could potentially create far too many holes in their team to fill.
RONNY’S TIP: Collingwood by 24 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Collingwood by 16 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 44
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 45