Round 6 of the 2015 AFL season promises to be another beauty with two traditional rivals to kick off the round, the GWS Giants to host two-time reigning premiers Hawthorn for the first time and the West Coast Eagles out to claim a huge scalp and prove that they just don’t beat the AFL’s minnows.

Collingwood versus Geelong Cats
Round 6 kicks off with the red-hot Collingwood facing off with the resurgent Geelong Cats, who proved through their nine-point win over Richmond last week that they may not yet be a spent force in the competition.

The ‘Pies moved to second on the ladder following their 75-point demolition of Carlton last Friday night, with Scott Pendlebury overtaking Gary Ablett in the Official AFL Player Ratings and firming his case as an early season Brownlow Medal contender in the process.

Meanwhile, the Cats held off a late surge from Richmond to win for just the second time this season, despite having James Kelly suffer a sickening injury and Mitch Clark sidelined due to a foot injury.

It comes to show that the Cats shouldn’t be written off just yet, despite many believing that the club’s sustained era of dominance might be about to come to its abrupt end sooner rather than later.

If they can knock off the second-placed Pies this Friday night, then it will do massive wonders for the team’s confidence and quite possibly set a catalyst for a climb up the ladder after an unusually poor start to the season.

However, the ‘Pies should prove too strong as they look to prove that last year’s absence from September was just an aberration.

Prediction: Collingwood by eight points.

North Melbourne versus Richmond
Two sides that have so far failed to live up to expectations this season will come face-to-face in what will be the biggest fixture to be played in Hobart since the Tasmanian capital started hosting North Melbourne games intermittently in 2012.

North Melbourne’s wildly inconsistent form continued when they were thrashed by Hawthorn by ten goals, while Richmond left it late against the Geelong Cats, going down by just nine points.

Both sides sit on two wins and three losses entering Round 6, which really isn’t ideal for two finals contenders even this early in the season. Therefore, it makes this match a must-win for both clubs.

The Roos will have vivid memories stemming from its Round 12 win over the Tigers last season in which they came from 35 points down at half-time to win by 28, representing a 63-point turnaround.

But they will have to be on from the first bounce if they are to sentence the Tigers to a third straight loss this Saturday afternoon.

Prediction: North Melbourne by 24 points.

Western Bulldogs versus St Kilda
The Western Bulldogs have emerged as the fairytale team of 2015 following their shock victories over the Adelaide Crows and Sydney Swans.

The unexpected win over the Swans saw the club start to regain some respect from their fans and the AFL public overall following an off-season from hell in which they lost several key decision makers at the end of a tumultuous 2014 season.

This Saturday they will be heavily favoured to defeat the Saints, who gave Essendon a run for their money before falling agonisingly short of their second win for the year, going down by two points.

In a boost for last year’s wooden spooners, veterans Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna are set to return, and their experience will be needed as the Saints look to halt the resurgence of the Bulldogs.

However, given the form that Luke Beveridge’s pups have shown over the first month of the season, it’ll be hard backing against them.

Prediction: Western Bulldogs by 30 points.

Tom Liberatore for the Dogs. (Photo: Darrian Traynor/AFL Media)

GWS Giants versus Hawthorn
After starting the season with three wins and one loss, last week delivered a sobering reality check for the GWS Giants as they were shrunk down to size by the West Coast Eagles in Perth.

Their twin towers in Jeremy Cameron and Cameron McCarthy, in particular, were shut down as the Giants were held to their lowest score since they managed just 35 points in a 128-point loss to St Kilda late in the 2012 season.

The next thing they would want as they try to keep their season on track is to face red-hot defending premiers Hawthorn, who could be without captain Luke Hodge and vice-captain Jordan Lewis following incidents incurred in their 60-point thrashing of North Melbourne last week.

If either or both are suspended, they will join injured trio James Frawley, Brian Lake and Paul Puopolo on the sidelines. It’s also the last thing the Hawks need as they look to win consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Hawks will also be smarting after very nearly losing to the Giants in their last meeting back in Round 11 last year. Back then, Leon Cameron’s men were also coming off a huge loss (in fact, a pair of 100+ point losses on either side of a bye) and Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson was sidelined with illness.

Saturday’s meeting, the first between the two sides at Spotless Stadium, will see Clarkson and Cameron, who worked together at the Hawks in 2011 and 2012 before the latter moved to GWS in 2013, oppose each other for the first time as coaches.

While the Giants will be eager to rebound after their horror showing in the west, which has brought about intense media scrutiny, the Hawks should show their class despite potentially having at least five players out due to injury or suspension.

Prediction: Hawthorn by 44 points.

Gold Coast Suns versus Adelaide Crows
After starting their season with three huge victories, the Adelaide Crows have now lost their last two. The Crows will be hoping to revive their early-season form when they descend onto Metricon Stadium to face the Gold Coast Suns, who will be brimming with confidence after notching up their first win for the season last week.

The Suns endured a month of severe criticism after losing their first four games of the season, the closest of which was a nine-point loss to the Geelong Cats in Round 3, but cast that all aside to thrash the Brisbane Lions by 64 points and also register their first win under new coach Rodney Eade in the process.

The club will again be without the likes of Gary Ablett Jr, David Swallow and Nick Malceski as they chase their first win over the Crows, who are coming off a disappointing Showdown loss to Port Adelaide.

The loss was the second in a row for Phil Walsh’s men, who have dropped from top of the ladder after Round 3 down to their current placing of seventh. Still, they should start favourites to defeat the Suns and thus keep their undefeated record against them, and on the holiday strip in itself, intact.

Prediction: Adelaide Crows by 22 points.

Melbourne versus Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans will be desperate to get their season back on track against Melbourne this Saturday night following two relatively disappointing losses in the last fortnight.

John Longmire’s men were blown away in the first half against Fremantle. For most of last week’s match against the Western Bulldogs the Swans were kept on the back foot again as they went down by just four points in poor conditions.

That has seen them drop to sixth on the ladder ahead of the match against Melbourne, who fought hard against Fremantle last week before capitulating in the final quarter.

Apart from that final quarter last week, and the second half against GWS in Round 2, the Dees’ improvement under Paul Roos has not gone unnoticed, and they will look to unsettle the club Roos coached to the flag almost a decade ago.

The next fortnight doesn’t get any easier for the club, with this Saturday night’s match to be followed by a date against two-time defending premiers Hawthorn in what is an away game for the Dees.

It will remain to be seen what tactics they will take as they try to rattle the Swans and bully them into a third straight loss. However, the Swans should bounce back and retain their place in the eight.

Prediction: Sydney Swans by 30 points.

Fremantle versus Essendon
Although the Fremantle Dockers appear likely to remain undefeated up to their Round 12 bye, this Saturday night’s clash against Essendon presents the first genuine challenge for the club this season.

While the Dockers dismantled Melbourne at the MCG, the Bombers were forced to struggle their way past a gallant and competitive St Kilda side across town at Etihad Stadium, winning by only two points in the end.

It marked the Bombers’ third win for the season and it follows on from contrastingly impressive victories over Hawthorn and Carlton, sandwiched in between by a two-goal loss to the Sydney Swans and their Anzac Day loss to Collingwood.

Saturday night’s trip to Perth will be the first of two for the Bombers this season, for their only engagements with the WA clubs in 2015 (they will also fly west to face the West Coast Eagles five rounds later).

James Hird’s men have had their moments in Perth, winning on three of their last four trips to Subiaco Oval including a come-from-behind four-point win in Round 3, 2013 and a seven-point win over the Eagles in Round 14 of the same season.

The Bombers have also had a habit of inflicting the first loss of the season on a Ross Lyon-coached side, doing so against St Kilda late in the 2009 season and against Fremantle two seasons ago.

If the trend continues, then don’t be surprised to see Essendon spring an upset victory in the west. However, the Dockers should prove too strong and stay undefeated for at least another week.

Prediction: Fremantle by 25 points.

Hayden Ballantyne is back, and his teammates will be loving it. (Photo: Daniel Carson/AFL Media)

Carlton versus Brisbane Lions
Both sides enter the only match to be played in Melbourne on Mother’s Day under massive siege, and for very good reason.

The Blues sit 17th on the ladder and are coming off a humiliating 75-point loss to Collingwood in coach Mick Malthouse’s record-breaking 715th AFL game, while the Brisbane Lions are the only club that are faring worse than Carlton at the moment.

Despite the acquisitions of premiership players Dayne Beams and Allen Christensen, and that of ex-Blue Mitch Robinson, as well as their impressive record in the NAB Challenge, the Lions have so far underperformed in the regular season, yet to win a match this season and currently sitting last on the ladder.

The plight of Justin Leppitsch’s men didn’t get any better after they suffered a 64-point loss to the Gold Coast Suns in the ninth edition of the QClash last Saturday night.

But they will get a chance to get off the mark for the season when they travel to Etihad Stadium to face the equally-as under-siege Blues, who will be hoping not to repeat its inept performance against Collingwood on Sunday.

One factor that will swing in Carlton’s favour is that they have not lost to the Lions in Melbourne since 2008. Hopefully that should inspire them to their second win for the season.

Prediction: Carlton by 16 points.

Port Adelaide versus West Coast Eagles
As good as the West Coast Eagles were last week, this Sunday’s match against Port Adelaide at the Oval will represent a different challenge to the one that they faced at home last Saturday night.

The Eagles dominated GWS from start to finish to win by 87 points, with full-forward Josh Kennedy kicking six goals, further enhancing their reputation as “flat-track bullies”.

It’s a concept coach Adam Simpson keeps refusing to buy into, even though the Giants were second on the ladder entering the match and were in good early-season form until the Eagles ripped it apart brutally.

But now they will be out to claim a huge scalp, something that has yet to be achieved since Simpson took over the reins from John Worsfold at the end of the 2013 season.

After dropping their first two games of the season, Port Adelaide have bounced back with wins over North Melbourne, Hawthorn and the Adelaide Crows to now be sitting tenth on the ladder, five places lower than the West Coast Eagles.

And although the ladder may not say so, they will pose more of a different threat than the Giants did last week and with the match to be played at the Adelaide Oval, Ken Hinkley’s men will almost certainly start favourites on Sunday.

Prediction: Port Adelaide by 15 points.