Rare phenomenon explains why only one game in round 17 is dividing our tipping experts

Round 17 shapes as a strange weekend of footy as it will mark only the sixth time in the 18-team era where the top nine teams have played against the bottom nine.

In fact, Saturday's clash between Essendon and Gold Coast corresponds to the smallest ladder gap of the weekend as 13th plays eighth.

The last time this phenomenon occurred was in round 22 of 2021, where two of the teams in the bottom nine managed to cause upsets.

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The AFL was likely banking on Collingwood versus Carlton as the marquee game of the upcoming round, but the Blues have fallen into a tailspin across the past fortnight in losses to North Melbourne and Port Adelaide.

This situation has led to some uniformity in Nine's expert AFL tips for the weekend, as you would expect.

In fact, only one game has split the experts, with Sunday's Sydney versus Fremantle game tough to pick.

The Swans sit three wins outside of the top eight thanks to a slow start to the season, but their form has been strong since round 13.

They've beaten Richmond, Port Adelaide away and lost narrowly to the Western Bulldogs from a winnable position in that stretch.

Fremantle, meanwhile, has won five on the trot and been in red-hot form. The Dockers have proven they can perform on the road, too, having beaten both GWS and Gold Coast away.

And on top of all of that, there remains the chance this match is moved away from the SCG, given the concerns with the playing surface.

See all of our expert tips for round 17 below:

Expert tips for round 17

Jimmy Bartel: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide

Rory Sloane: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide

Tom Morris: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Fremantle, Adelaide

Eddie McGuire: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Fremantle, Adelaide

Clint Stanaway: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide

Nat Yoannidis: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide

Tony Jones: Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, GWS, Gold Coast, Geelong, Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide