ANOTHER thrilling round of footy brings us a week closer to the finals, but only a little clearer on who the eight teams in September will be.
Sydney was arguably the biggest winner of the weekend, rolling top-four rival Fremantle in the west and righting its top-four bid with a relatively friendly draw to come.
Carlton copped a reality check against the powerful Cats, Brisbane got a little of its confidence back and, two months after looking like double-chance contenders, the Saints are in real danger of missing the finals completely.
LADDER PREDICTOR Where will your club finish?
Who's in the box seat, and who's facing an uphill battle to finish inside the eight? Check out your club's finish to the season below.
Adelaide, GWS, Hawthorn, Essendon, North Melbourne and West Coast have not been considered.
1. Geelong
52 points (13 wins, four losses) 137.0 per cent
Geelong saw off another contender this round and now has a run home of five games against teams not currently in the top eight, with three of those at GMHBA Stadium. Sounds good, but there's nothing easy about Port Adelaide in Adelaide next week and it's so tight at the top that the slightest hiccup could cost a double chance. Also, while the Cats have left the MCG with premiership points on four of five occasions this year, they won't be back at the home of football till September, denying them another chance to get familiar with the lie of the land. – Howard Kimber
The run home
R19: Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R20: Western Bulldogs @ GMHBA Stadium
R21: St Kilda @ GMHBA Stadium
R22: Gold Coast @ Metricon Stadium
R23: West Coast @ GMHBA Stadium
2. Melbourne
52 points (13 wins, four losses) 132.6 per cent
Melbourne was tested at every turn by a resilient and desperate Port Adelaide outfit, but was able to come away with the all-important four points in Alice Springs. The Dees' 12th win of the season helps solidify their place inside the top two and only percentage behind ladder leaders Geelong going into a tricky run home. Simon Goodwin's side take on five teams all sitting inside the top nine, with the lowest of those sides being the Western Bulldogs who they face in a Grand Final rematch at Marvel Stadium. Melbourne only play two more games in their home MCG comforts with both of those contests sandwiched between tricky road trips to take on fellow top four sides Fremantle and Brisbane. - Nick D'Urbano
The run home
R19: Western Bulldogs @ Marvel Stadium
R20: Fremantle @ Optus Stadium
R21: Collingwood @ MCG
R22: Carlton @ MCG
R23: Brisbane @ Gabba
3. Brisbane
48 points (12 wins, five losses), 126.0 per cent
The Lions can almost guarantee a fourth straight finals berth with victory over Queensland rivals Gold Coast next Saturday night, but will have their sights set higher. In what could be almost the perfect run in to September, Chris Fagan's men get another chance to break their eight-year MCG drought against Richmond the following week and host Carlton and premier Melbourne in the final three matches. With players coming back from injury, a good run in could set them up nicely for a premiership tilt. - Michael Whiting
The run home
R19: Gold Coast @ Gabba
R20: Richmond @ MCG
R21: Carlton @ Gabba
R22: St Kilda @ Marvel Stadium
R23: Melbourne @ Gabba
4. Fremantle
48 points (12 wins, five losses) 120.6 per cent
The Dockers slipped up at home against Sydney and are now vulnerable in the top four, with the Swans and Collingwood among the teams breathing down their necks. With a difficult three weeks to navigate, any more missteps will put a top-two finish all but out of reach and leave their double chance in jeopardy. Richmond will be snarling on Friday night, and Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs follow with plenty to play for. It's a season-defining stretch before matches they should win against West Coast and Greater Western Sydney. – Nathan Schmook
The run home
R19: Richmond @ Marvel Stadium
R20: Melbourne @ Optus Stadium
R21: Western Bulldogs @ Marvel Stadium
R22: West Coast @ Optus Stadium
R23: Greater Western Sydney @ Manuka Oval
5. Collingwood
48 points (12 wins, five losses) 106.2 per cent
The Magpies have won eight in a row after edging Adelaide in a thriller to firm up their grip on a finals spot, sitting three wins ahead of ninth, but also bring to life their top-four aspirations which are aided by having four of their remaining five games at the MCG. Collingwood's next two games are against sides outside the top eight and they could welcome back Jordan De Goey and Brodie Grundy in the next fortnight too. Assuming they win those two, the Pies' final three games will likely dictate if they can finish inside the top four and claim a double chance, with a big test against reigning premier Melbourne, before a trip to Sydney and a meeting with rivals Carlton to round out the regular season. – Ben Somerford
The run home
R19: Essendon @ MCG
R20: Port Adelaide @ MCG
R21: Melbourne @ MCG
R22: Sydney @ SCG
R23: Carlton @ MCG
6. Sydney
44 points (11 wins, six losses) 120.8 per cent
The Swans notched back-to-back wins for the first time since the bye and are now in a strong position to finish top four, with an eye on Fremantle's spot if the Dockers stumble. Winnable games against Adelaide, GWS and North Melbourne will keep the pressure on those above them before a critical final fortnight. The Swans' inconsistency at times this season means nothing can be taken for granted, but they look to be the biggest threat outside the top four right now. – Nathan Schmook
The run home
R19: Adelaide @ SCG
R20: Greater Western Sydney @ SCG
R21: North Melbourne @ Marvel Stadium
R22: Collingwood @ SCG
R23: St Kilda @ Marvel Stadium
7. Carlton
44 points (11 wins, 6 losses) 113.4 per cent
Results from teams lower on the ladder have created some breathing space for the Blues to lock in a first finals berth since 2013, but the loss to the Cats sees them drop to seventh, a win and percentage out of the top four. They can bank wins in the next two weeks, but the final three rounds are all against teams currently higher on the ladder and all on their home decks. This has been a season that shows anything can happen, but it looks like Carlton will need to beat two of Melbourne, Brisbane and Collingwood, as well as downing the Giants and Crows, if they're to secure a double chance. – Howard Kimber
The run home
R19: Greater Western Sydney @ Marvel Stadium
R20: Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R21: Brisbane @ Gabba
R22: Melbourne @ MCG
R23: Collingwood @ MCG
8. Richmond
36 points (nine wins, eight losses) 115.0 per cent
Saturday's shock defeat to North Melbourne shapes as being particularly costly for the Tigers, who have a difficult run of games in the next three weeks. They return to Marvel Stadium, where they have lost their past four, to take on Fremantle on Friday night before a clash with Brisbane at the MCG and a trip to face Port Adelaide. A slightly more comfortable finish follows with clashes against Hawthorn and Essendon, but Richmond looks set to need to win at least two of its next three – and beat the Hawks and Bombers – just to avoid missing the finals. – Dejan Kalinic
The run home
R19: Fremantle @ Marvel Stadium
R20: Brisbane @ MCG
R21: Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R22: Hawthorn @ MCG
R23: Essendon @ MCG
9. Western Bulldogs
36 points (nine wins, eight losses) 112.0 per cent
The Dogs kept their season alive on Friday night by beating St Kilda, but now they have a brutal run over the next three weeks. Luke Beveridge’s side might need to win four of the final five games to play in September. The Western Bulldogs face three sides in the top four across the next three weeks, including Geelong at Kardinia Park. They will need to beat Melbourne or Geelong to still be in the hunt. - Josh Gabelich
The run home
R19: Melbourne @ Marvel Stadium
R20: Geelong @ GMHBA Stadium
R21: Fremantle @ Marvel Stadium
R22: Greater Western Sydney @ Marvel Stadium
R23: Hawthorn @ UTAS Stadium
10. St Kilda
36 points (nine wins, eight losses) 101.7 per cent
After falling to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, St Kilda is almost out of chances. They will need to beat West Coast in Perth next weekend to remain alive. Games against top-four sides Geelong – down at GMHBA Stadium – and Brisbane will make the task incredibly tough for Brett Ratten’s men. It might come down to round 23 against Sydney. - Josh Gabelich
The run home
R19: West Coast @ Optus Stadium
R20: Hawthorn @ Marvel Stadium
R21: Geelong @ GMHBA Stadium
R22: Brisbane @ Marvel Stadium
R23: Sydney @ Marvel Stadium
11. Port Adelaide
32 points (eight wins, nine losses) 106.9 per cent
The Power's finals hopes took a hit on Sunday afternoon, after falling to a gritty 14-point loss to Melbourne and in turn, missing the chance to go equal on points with eighth placed Richmond on the ladder. While the loss wasn’t completely destructive to their finals hopes, the job doesn’t get any easier as they look to turn their 0-5 start into an unlikely finals berth. Port needs scalps to stay alive and it will need to get them against top-eight sides with Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond to come in the next three. The bonus? Two of them are at home. - Nick D'Urbano
The run home
R19: Geelong @ Adelaide Oval
R20: Collingwood @ MCG
R21: Richmond @ Adelaide Oval
R22: Essendon @ Marvel Stadium
R23: Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
12. Gold Coast
32 points (eight wins, nine losses) 104.7 per cent
It's stating the obvious, but the Suns blew a golden opportunity in round 18 and it may cost them a ticket to September action. Had they beaten Essendon by a decent margin, they could be sitting in eighth position; instead, they find themselves in 12th and their percentage has taken a hit with the hefty loss to the Bombers. The door remains ajar, with Gold Coast facing just two top-eight sides (Brisbane in round 19, Geelong in round 22) across the final five weeks. They probably need to win one of those two, then take care of West Coast in round 20, Hawthorn in round 21 and North Melbourne in round 23, and hope some external results fall their way. - Trent Masenhelder
The run home
R19: Brisbane @ Gabba
R20: West Coast @ Metricon Stadium
R21: Hawthorn @ UTAS Stadium
R22: Geelong @ Metricon Stadium
R23: North Melbourne @ Marvel Stadium
