WITH three rounds of the NAB AFLW season left the top seven teams are arguably set, with just a race for eighth remaining.

There's plenty of movement still to be had within the top seven positions, but it's hard to see any of Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Collingwood, Geelong, Richmond or North Melbourne missing finals.

Oddly enough – considering the end to the recent men's season – Carlton and the Western Bulldogs are two of the sides in the mix for eighth, with Gold Coast the third.

Hawthorn is also on the same number of points as Carlton, but its percentage of 56.5 is a serious hinderance to making finals in its first AFLW season.

Geelong and Richmond are one game clear of eighth spot, but both should win at least one match of their remaining three.

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The Tigers have the lower percentage of the two, but it's still 39 higher than the Suns, meaning the women from Punt Road are likely to play in their first finals series.

Percentage should also see seventh-placed North Melbourne home, with the Roos only four points clear of the Suns but an enormous 68 per cent to the good.

Barring a catastrophe, North Melbourne should bank some more breathing space with a comfortable win over Port Adelaide this weekend.

That leaves eighth spot.

RUN HOME FOR EIGHTH SPOT CONTENDERS

Gold Coast
Eighth, 16 points, 96.6 per cent
Melbourne (Metricon Stadium), Carlton (Metricon Stadium), GWS (Henson Park)

Western Bulldogs
Ninth, 16 points, 90.6 per cent
St Kilda (Mars Stadium), West Coast (Mineral Resources Park), Carlton (Ikon Park)

Carlton
10th, 12 points, 77.9 per cent
Richmond (Ikon Park), Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium), Western Bulldogs (Ikon Park)

THE FULL RUN HOME All the contenders, all the clashes

Carlton very much holds its destiny in its own hands, with classic so-called "eight-point" games against both the Suns and Dogs.

The Blues winning would deliver the bonus of depriving the opponent of four points, while either drawing level or pulling clear themselves.

Piling on the goals is also key for Carlton, needing to overhaul percentage in the process.

Gold Coast is unlikely to beat the currently rampaging Melbourne, and its most important task this weekend is to limit any possible damage to its percentage, given the gap that already exists to seventh-place North Melbourne.

The GWS match in round 10 – the final game of the home and away season – could be more of a curveball for the Suns than first appears, with the Giants having developed an uncanny knack of pinching games they aren't expected to win.

That leaves the Western Bulldogs.

The young Dogs were flying high at the start of the season, winning four on the trot, but having run into some sterner opposition (North Melbourne, Geelong and Melbourne), are sliding down the ladder and their percentage has been in freefall.

While they may not have the depth yet to match it with the best, they've got the stars to win their last three matches. But it won't be straightforward, with West Coast proving to be a tougher task the longer the season runs.

When all's said and done, eighth spot may come down to the round 10 clash between the Dogs and the Blues on a Friday night at Ikon Park.