Things get heated during the GWS-Carlton clash at Giants Stadium last year in Round 14. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

COLLINGWOOD v WESTERN BULLDOGS (Marvel Stadium, Friday 7.50pm local time)
It is no exaggeration to say that, at 3-5, the Bulldogs’ season is squarely on the line in this game. Another loss against the improved Magpies and they will slip two games outside the top eight, leaving them with the lofty task of probably needing to win nine of their last 13 games to make the finals. And they head into this contest without three important players – Cody Weightman (collarbone), Laitham Vandermeer (hamstring) and Tim O’Brien (calf). Their midfield has been performing well below its capability, but fortunately they regain superstar captain Marcus Bontempelli as well as Alex Keath, who will bring some much-needed stiffness to a struggling backline. The Magpies have also been dealt a big blow with emerging forward Jack Ginnivan struck down with an illness. Collingwood has shown it’s far from an easybeat in season 2022, but if its defence affords the kind of time and space to Aaron Naughton that it has to other key forwards in recent times (namely, Richmond’s Tom Lynch), then it will find it very hard to secure the four points.
RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 15 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 6 points.

HAWTHORN v RICHMOND (MCG, Saturday 1.45pm local time)
The honeymoon period is officially over for new Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell. After starting the year in very positive fashion with three wins from their first five games, the Hawks have dropped their last three matches to slump to 3-5. Alarmingly, two of those three defeats have come about as a result of spectacular final-quarter fadeouts against Sydney and Essendon. It’s a real concern for Hawthorn, whose midfield continues to look too one-paced. Conversely, the Tiger train looks to be finally kicking into gear after a stop-start first month-and-a-half. Richmond has now strung together back-to-back wins for the first time this year, and since rounds 11-12 last season, and with champion Dustin Martin back in the fold and hitting the ground running after ending since his seven-week absence from the team last round, Damien Hardwick’s men look like a finals-calibre side again all of a sudden.
RONNY’S TIP: Richmond by 25 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Richmond by 32 points.

NORTH MELBOURNE v PORT ADELAIDE (Blundstone Arena, Saturday 2.10pm local time)
The Kangaroos are doing it tough. Real tough. Worryingly for the struggling club, it looks like it has actually regressed from its wooden spoon season last year. North already looks to be in freefall after just eight rounds, having lost its last six games by an average of 63 points and its only win has come against a COVID-decimated West Coast line-up. Last week, the Kangaroos registered their lowest ever score against the Dockers (3.6.24) as Freo smashed them by 78 points – its second biggest win against North – despite having six players sit out due to COVID protocols. And making matters worse for the Kangas this week is that they take on a revitalised Port Adelaide unit without Ben McKay (knee), Jason Horne-Francis (hamstring) and Hugh Greenwood (COVID). The Power have resisted the urge to recall important forwards Charlie Dixon and Orazio Fantasia, or Miles Bergman, but they’ve finally got their season back on track after figuring out how to play without Dixon, and North should pose no serious threat to them as they continue their commendable charge back up the ladder.
RONNY’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 44 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Port Adelaide by 10 points.

ST KILDA v GEELONG (Marvel Stadium, Saturday 4.35pm local time)
After a blistering start to the season, the Saints have copped a dose of reality in the last couple of weeks with back-to-back losses to Port Adelaide and Melbourne, and this week they receive another test of their credentials with yet another match against a 2021 preliminary finalist. The Cats have experienced a few hiccups this year, but on the whole, they’ve proven to still be one of the league’s stronger teams, as their win over Brisbane a month ago suggests. Geelong welcomes back from injury Joel Selwood (quad) and Rhys Stanley (ankle), whose return couldn’t be timelier considering St Kilda’s tandem ruck combo of Rowan Marshall and Paddy Ryder. If the Saints are to win, they would want to implement the high-pressure, fast-paced, line-breaking style of their second half against Melbourne last week, rather than the tepid, possession, switch-heavy brand which undid them in the first half. But either way, St Kilda will be up against it to secure victory, having lost its last six games against Geelong by an average of 34 points, and winning just one game from its last 13 clashes with the Cats.
RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 22 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 8 points.

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SYDNEY v ESSENDON (SCG, Saturday 7.25pm local time)
One of the more underrated rivalries of the modern era, these two sides know how to produce a thriller. Five of their last eight encounters have been decided by seven points or less, and between 1996 and 2012, 11 meetings out of 26 were decided by nine points or less. Tony Lockett, Steve Alessio, Courtenay Dempsey, Adam Goodes, Gary Rohan and Ricky Mott have all been central figures to the high drama between the Bombers and Swans over the past 26 years. So, will a new character add their name to that list on the weekend? You wouldn’t want to bet against it. The Swans aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders at the moment, after being stunned yet again by their unlikely nemesis Gold Coast, while the Bombers finally lit their 2022 fuse against the Hawks last week. And the Dons welcome back Jordan Ridley, Jake Kelly, Matt Guelfi and Sam Durham after all four were late withdrawals last round due to illness. Ruckman Tom Hickey is a huge inclusion for Sydney, and while it would be surprising to see it cop a third loss in a row, nothing can ever be taken for granted when the Swans face the Bombers.
RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 8 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 16 points.

ADELAIDE v BRISBANE (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7.10pm local time)
After two heavy defeats to GWS and Carlton ended their promising 3-3 start to the year, Crows coach Matthew Nicks has lost patience, dropping Reilly O’Brien, Billy Frampton, Harry Schoenberg, Lachie Gollant and Brayden Cook, while Lachlan Murphy (neck) also makes way. In their place comes Brodie Smith, Darcy Fogarty, Ned McHenry, Jake Soligo and Kieran Strachan. But it’s hard to see those changes making a massive difference to the outcome of this contest. The Lions are one of the most in-form teams in the competition, having just lost one game this year and sitting pretty in third spot. And while their key forward stocks have taken a hit in recent weeks with Dan McStay (ankle) joining Joe Daniher (shoulder) on the sidelines, one of the feelgood stories of the year sees Eric Hipwood make his return after fully recovering from an ACL injury suffered in Round 17 last year. And Darcy Gardiner also comes back to further bolster the Lions’ backline. Adelaide will get a first-hand education on what it takes to be a premiership contender.
RONNY’S TIP: Brisbane by 39 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Brisbane by 38 points.

GOLD COAST v FREMANTLE (Metricon Stadium, Sunday 1.40pm local time)
True to form, just as the footy world was writing their obituary for another season, the Jekyll-and-Hyde Suns produced an out-of-the-blue performance which made everyone sit up, take notice and wonder if the perennially struggling expansion outfit will finally turn the corner. Gold Coast was magnificent in its upset win over Sydney last week and it was a result that gave it some much-needed momentum heading into one of the toughest tasks in footy this year – Fremantle. The Dockers have stunned the footy world in 2022 to sit second on the ladder after eight rounds with just one loss. Coach Justin Longmuir truly has assembled a formidable outfit which will take some beating this season. And Freo looks set to be further boosted by the returns of Blake Acres, Rory Lobb, Griffin Logue, Travis Colyer and Michael Frederick, who were five of the six COVID-related omissions last week and have been named in an extended squad. The fact this match is being played on the Gold Coast definitely helps the Suns, but the Dockers are looking as professional and well-drilled as they’ve been since the halcyon days of the Ross Lyon era, and it would be staggering to see them drop this game.
RONNY’S TIP: Fremantle by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Fremantle by 20 points.

GWS v CARLTON (Giants Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
The Giants’ season might be as good as over already, but this game has all of a sudden got a lot of meaning attached to it for them after long-time coach Leon Cameron announced his resignation on Thursday. He will coach his 193rd and final GWS game against the Blues, joining the likes of Brad Scott, Mick Malthouse and Brendon Bolton as senior coaches who made early-season departures from their clubs in recent years. And given the propensity for sides to lift a few gears and snatch wins to send off their outgoing coach in style, the Carlton faithful must have had a sense of dread when Cameron made his announcement. Compounding issues for the Blues are the losses of important players Harry McKay (knee) and Jack Martin (calf), to injury, as well as Lewis Young to COVID protocols. They do, however, welcome back impressive recruit George Hewett. A week after destroying Adelaide, the Giants were terrible against Geelong last week. And even though Carlton has made a great start to the year to sit in the top four, there’s something about this game (Cameron’s farewell, perhaps) that just screams “banana peel” for the Blues. The Giants’ imposing 9-3 record against the Blues probably has something to do with it as well. Not to mention the fact that they’ve won their last five meetings by an average of 51 points.
RONNY’S TIP: GWS by 17 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Carlton by 30 points.

WEST COAST v MELBOURNE (Optus Stadium, Sunday 3.20pm local time)
This has the potential to get extremely ugly. The wet conditions probably saved the Eagles from a triple-figure loss to the Lions last week, and forecast showers might do the same this week, but make no mistake, if the Demons bring their A-game, a defeat north of 100 points is well and truly on the cards for the hapless Eagles. Having won its last 15 games, including an eight-game undefeated run to start 2022, Melbourne once again sits head and shoulders above the competition. Conversely, the Eagles are a mirror image of the Demons, sitting dead last on the ladder to be one of the worst teams in the competition. Incredibly, as of Thursday night, Palmerbet has the Eagles listed as a $14.40 shot to win – surely the longest odds they’ve ever been at home.
RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 92 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 54 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 49
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 49