Some tipping weeks are harder than others.

If I’m being brutally honest, though, my five last week – borne of excess faith in the Bulldogs, not enough in Geelong and not anticipating Carlton’s juggernaut falling apart the moment Patrick Cripps reached for his hamstring – is starting to look pretty good when I look at what some of our other tipsters here on The Roar got up to.

Whether it was backing Adelaide to upset the Bombers, or a sneaky feeling Port could do a number on Melbourne, or picking against YOUR OWN TEAM AT HOME against GWS, we all had a horror story or two to come out of Round 4.

But as they say, when you’re going through hell, keep going. And full credit to Dem, who used the week to back a slew of 50-50s right and surge back into the race. When you tip West Coast to knock over Collingwood on the road, you deserve every bit of it.

Is Round 5 going to be any easier to tip? Will I still contrive to make a complete hash of it? Let’s answer both those questions at the same time and get into it!

Tim Miller (last week: 5)

Brisbane, Western Bulldogs, Sydney, St Kilda, Richmond, Melbourne, Carlton, Essendon, Geelong

It’s neck in neck at the top between me and you guys in The Crowd this week, so to maintain any sense of credibility I’ve got to make a decent fist of a relatively straightforward round of footy.

Kicking us off on Friday night, any Collingwood outfit with Jordan De Goey and Taylor Adams back in it will put up more of a fight than they managed against the Eagles; but Brisbane just don’t lose home-and-away matches at the Gabba these days and I can’t see it happening here.

The Good Friday double-header are also very risky ones to go against the grain: as poor as the Bulldogs have been to start the year, it’s been four years since North Melbourne’s one and only win in their marquee fixture. Like the Roos, the Eagles were outstanding last week (though unlike the Roos, they were rewarded for their effort with a win) – but a Sydney side that usually travels well and is a bona fide finals contender would kick themselves for slipping up on their trip west.

ABSURD! HOW HAS LUKE PARKER DONE THIS? #AFLEaglesSwans pic.twitter.com/VhWhpNBgz8

— AFL (@AFL) March 25, 2018

The Docklands factor should get a resurgent St Kilda over the line against the improving Gold Coast in a genuine match of the round contender; as a side note, it’s great to see no Saturday afternoon overlap in games this week – long may it continue! Richmond are also coming off a big win, and the hostile away crowd factor should present no fears to the triple-premiership Tigers.

Rounding us off on Saturday night, Melbourne will lose a game at some point this season, but with GWS still a week away from regaining Toby Greene, it probably won’t be at the hands of the Giants.

Sunday’s games are the two genuine flip-of-the-coiners for the round. A Carlton outfit (probably) without Patrick Cripps is the kind of wounded opposition that looms very nicely for a Port Adelaide side in desperate need of a kill. The Power have a great recent record over the Blues, and I’d genuinely tip them if Ollie Wines was playing; but I’m too much of a coward to jump off the Carlton bandwagon now.

Up next, I think the Bombers are better than their current record and Fremantle are worse than theirs, which should see them meet somewhere in the middle in the later Sunday game. I’ve gone the Bombers for the home ground factor, where the Dockers haven’t beaten them since 2010 (disclaimer: they’ve only played them there five times in that period). But Freo are probably only one win in a game like this away from being taken really seriously as finals contenders – or even more.

Finally, the traditional Easter Monday game to round off the week. You rarely get far in tipping competitions by backing against Geelong, and with Hawthorn crashing back to earth last week, you’d be a brave human to go against the Cats here.

Dem Panopoulos (last week: 6)

Brisbane, Western Bulldogs, Sydney, Gold Coast, Richmond, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, Geelong

Thank you, ‘Coasts’ of both the West and Gold varieties.

Those two tips probably saved me from ending my tipping chances in Round 4, but taking a risk or two is necessary in competition – Ken Hinkley should give it a go.

A happy Easter weekend to all those who celebrate it, and it should kick off with the Lions easily accounting for the plucky Pies, whose status as top dogs on the ‘expected scores’ ladder will surely come as a great comfort… right?

Good Friday footy is now synonymous with North Melbourne playing the Bulldogs; let’s hope the triple-figure margins aren’t part of the tradition. Luke Beveridge really needs to get his players up for this one.

The Eagles take on the Swans that night, and should welcome a couple more players back, although the absence of Nic Naitanui is devastating. Playing in Perth suits Sydney greatly, too.

I truly believe the Saints against the Suns is a genuine 50-50 game – the Saints have impressed far more than expected, but Gold Coast’s pressure was too much for Carlton, who play similarly to St Kilda. Intriguing.

Gresh has four!#AFLHawksSaints pic.twitter.com/7r5nWXu5wD

— AFL (@AFL) April 10, 2022

I’m liking the trend of getting every Richmond game wrong so far this season, but surely it ends here. The Crows were competitive in Round 4, but the Tiger pressure has to be too much.

It seems unfair that the Giants could be 1-4 after this round despite playing some decent footy so far this season, but the Demons are going through the motions and still dominant.

Easter Sunday features two games completely on the edge.

Now, we don’t know the teams when we tip. Port have looked horrible without Charlie Dixon and Aliir Aliir, and won’t have Ollie Wines. Still, this is the sort of game where they could pull a rabbit out of the hat.

Patrick Cripps’ fitness may be the tipping point. The only reason I’m going with the Power is an inkling that Zak Butters will finish the game with three Brownlow votes.

Essendon and Fremantle typically play close contests, and the Dockers keep it tight at Marvel Stadium as a general rule. Their barnstorming last quarter against the Giants captured the heart more than how the Bombers played for the full four against Adelaide.

Finally, the typical Easter Monday clash between Geelong and Hawthorn. A close one for old-times sake would be nice; not sure we’ll get it, though.

Cameron Rose (last week: 2)

Brisbane, Western Bulldogs, Sydney, St Kilda, Richmond, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Geelong

What a horror show last week was! I reckon I got every 50-50 game wrong, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

This weekend over Easter looks far more clean-cut. Brisbane will enjoy getting back to the Gabba, away from the Geelong umpiring, and should easily account for a Collingwood team that is starting to struggle after a bright opening two rounds of the season.

The Western Bulldogs beat North Melbourne by 128 points in this fixture last year, and while a repeat shouldn’t be on the cards, the Dogs will be hungry to get their season back on track. If they can start kicking straight and get some momentum behind it, a comfortable win should ensue.

Yep, the Dogs got a good one ????#AFLNorthDogs pic.twitter.com/o1fbefaQLS

— AFL (@AFL) April 2, 2021

In the other Good Friday match, Sydney travels to Perth with an ugly win over a gritty North behind them. They’ll enjoy the bigger ground in WA, and the Eagles are still a shadow of themselves really despite last week’s victory.

Could we see an upset on Easter Saturday? St Kilda, Richmond and Melbourne will all start favourites against Gold Coast, Adelaide and GWS respectively; any of the outsiders could spring some sort of surprise, but it will be just that… a surprise.

The Demons will be top two regardless, but the Saints and Tigers get a chance to consolidate themselves in the push for finals.

Easter Sunday gives us the two most intriguing match-ups of Round 5. Carlton’s bubble burst against Gold Coast last week, and they now host a Port team that put up a fight for different periods against Melbourne but were ultimately outclassed.

We saw West Coast come to Melbourne last week and be galvanised by the trip away; could the same happen to the Power? Or will the Blues show they have the maturity to get back on track? Huge game either way.

Essendon finally got their first win of 2022 against Adelaide, and face a similar scenario against Fremantle this week – playing an ordinary interstate side at Marvel Stadium. Their season is shot if they go down, while the Dockers are looking to give the doubters something to think about and stay in the top four.

The Hawks appear to have'”trained off’, as we say in the racing game, and Geelong will be too professional for them in their traditional Easter Monday clash.

Liam Salter (last week: 2)

Brisbane, Western Bulldogs, Sydney, St Kilda, Richmond, Melbourne, Carlton, Fremantle, Hawthorn

A disastrous round for me last week. Let’s leave it at that.

We move onwards, with some genuinely exciting games this weekend. Brisbane, who apparently expect to earn a cool million from hosting the Pies tonight, should also expect to earn the four points. The Magpies have been alright without winning, but Brisbane play well at home and will notch the win. 

Joey! ????#AFLLionsPies pic.twitter.com/fn78OV2s9y

— AFL (@AFL) August 14, 2021

We get two Good Friday clashes tomorrow night, and both have very real upset potential. The Kangaroos were unexpectedly good last weekend, and given the Doggies have been one of the most disappointing teams of the season too far, David Noble’s squad will be up for the challenge.

Luke Beveridge himself would be peeved at his team’s form line, and I can’t see them dropping another.

In the other, the Eagles – punching above their weight for much of the season – should field a semblance of a full-strength squad (sans Nic Natanui, unfortunately) against the Swans. Sydney nevertheless remain the easier pick here, though. 

Much like Carlton, the Saints feel very, very much the team who’d drop a game against the Suns. I say that with zero intention to lambast Gold Coast, who were superb last week, but the Saints’ performance against the Hawks almost fulfils this tip for me: they’ll win.

Ditto Richmond, who should be too strong for a (quietly) quite decent Adelaide outfit (for the sake of the waiting list of South Australian cardiologists, I hope this isn’t yet another thriller for Crows fans). Melbourne over the Giants, to close Saturday’s games, is as simple a pick as there is. 

Carlton versus Port is sure to be something to watch. Ken, Kochie and co. will be dispirited with the Power’s, uh, indifferent start to the season, while Carlton sent their fans a little back towards earth by dropping the Suns clash. It’s no Patrick Cripps meets no Ollie Wines, and I genuinely have no clue who will prevail. I’ll go the Blues purely for the (Gen Z reference incoming) the ‘lols’ of Port losing a fifth straight.

Not for the first time, I’m too terrified for Freo’s clash, so I’ll say us and hope for the best. Easter Monday closes the round, and here’s my one and only wild tip of the week: the Hawks will win. 

Round 5	Tim	Dem	Cam	Liam	Crowd
BL vs COL	BL	BL	BL	BL	BL
NM vs WB	WB	WB	WB	WB	WB
WCE vs SYD	SYD	SYD	SYD	SYD	SYD
STK vs GCS	STK	GCS	STK	STK	STK
ADE vs RCH	RCH	RCH	RCH	RCH	RCH
MEL vs GWS	MEL	MEL	MEL	MEL	MEL
CAR vs PA	CAR	PA	PA	CAR	CAR
ESS vs FRE	ESS	FRE	ESS	FRE	ESS
HAW vs GEE	GEE	GEE	GEE	HAW	GEE
ROLLING SCORE	24	20	19	18	24

Multi tip from PlayUp: 

Some really great games coming up for this long weekend; let’s try and find some money in amongst the Easter eggs. 

Leg 1. Sydney H2H @ $1.52

Leg 2. Richmond H2H @ $1.74

Leg 3. Carlton H2H @ $1.55

Total – $4.10

Good luck this weekend. Be sure to check out the great odds and the new same game Multi-feature at PlayUp. Please gamble responsibly.