THE RACE for places in the top eight and the all-important top four are about to hot up, with each club having just ten more home and away matches to play. 

AFL Media's reporters put their heads together during the week to try and come up with how the ladder might look after round 23. We started by looking at which teams realistically remain in contention to make the top eight, and we decided to draw the line at 11th-placed West Coast.

Once we had decided upon the teams still in contention, we started the discussion by ranking each team's fixture. We used a method that allocated 18 points for a match against Port Adelaide (the top side on the ladder after round 13), 17 points for a game against Hawthorn (the second-placed side), 16 points for a clash with the Sydney Swans (the third-placed side) and so on, right down to awarding two points for a clash with the Brisbane Lions (second-last on the ladder) and one point for a match against St Kilda (the team at the foot of the table). 

The rankings show that North Melbourne, Fremantle and the Sydney Swans have a host of games that they should win, while Hawthorn, Essendon and Collingwood have the toughest fixtures in the run home. 

To come up with a final ladder, the reporters also took into account six-day breaks and the number of players on each club's injury list. 

Scroll to the bottom to see AFL Media's predicted top eight at the end of the home and away season.

They're only a win clear of the fourth ranked Geelong and there's just two separating the Power from sixth-placed Collingwood. Given its favourable finish though, where it plays six bottom-half teams, that buffer would have the club cautiously optimistic of locking in a double chance. The Power also only have two six-day breaks left after this weekend, meaning players should be well rested as a finals campaign nears. The race will be tight, but Port looks a likely winner.

Ranking: 95

- Harry Thring

- James Dampney

The Dockers have a fantastic draw in the run home and are right in top four calculations. Their win against Richmond last weekend was their first this season coming off a six-day break. They do not have another six-day break unless one is scheduled in round 23. The toughest task for the Dockers comes in the final four rounds - they face Geelong away, Hawthorn at home, the Brisbane Lions in Brisbane and then Port Adelaide at home in round 23.

Ranking: 78

The Eagles face a huge task to make the eight despite their draw being relatively kind. Already two games outside the eight, consecutive matches coming up against the Dockers and Swans could set them back further. West Coast also travels to Brisbane off a six-day break, and also Essendon in Melbourne off another six-day break in round 21. Even if the Eagles negotiate all of that successfully, they still make the longest road trip in the AFL in round 23 to face the Suns at Metricon Stadium in a game that could potentially determine eighth spot.

Ranking: 85

The wins to the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne, against top-eight contending teams (Collingwood and Essendon) last weekend, offered faint hope for their September chances. But the reality is they are little chance of sewing up a finals spot. Carlton's run of three successive losses, against the Brisbane Lions, Geelong and Hawthorn, may also have extinguished its faint finals hope. All three teams sit three games outside the top eight, locked on four wins and eight losses, meaning they would need minor miracles to be part of the finals mix. With patchy form for much of this season, it's clear they would need to show marked improvement to be considered legitimate finals challengers this season. - Ben Guthrie

1. Sydney Swans

2. Fremantle

3. Port Adelaide

4. Hawthorn

5. Geelong

6. North Melbourne

7. Collingwood

8. Gold Coast