WITH two rounds of the 2024 NAB AFLW season left to play, the final spot in the top eight is a battle between Essendon and Narrm, according to our reporters.

AFL.com.au's seven AFLW journalists used our ladder predictor tool for the final two rounds of the season to predict the top eight, and they believe the Demons' resurgence is real, with the majority tipping Mick Stinear's side to sneak into finals instead of the Bombers.

But it is all set to come down to Thursday's match against Hawthorn in Cairns. The reporters who have tipped Narrm to snag a shock win over the Hawks have the Demons playing finals, and those tipping the Hawks believe the Bombers will finish in the eight.

Outside of the race for eighth, our reporters expect the other seven finalists to stay in the same spots they hold heading into this weekend's round of footy.

North Melbourne have been tipped to sew up the minor premiership, while the Hawks are expected to earn the double chance and home ground advantage.

Brisbane and Kurwana round out the top four of the combined top eight, with Walyalup and Richmond both returning to finals after missing last season.

Our journalists also have Yartapuulti qualifying for finals for the first time since joining the League back in 2022 (season seven).

At the other end of the ladder, five of our seven reporters have tipped Collingwood to take the wooden spoon in Sam Wright's first season at the helm, with Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney rounding out the bottom three.

AFL.com.au's predicted final ladder*

1. North Melbourne
2. Hawthorn
3. Brisbane
4. Kurwana
5. Walyalup
6. Richmond
7. Yartapuulti
8. Narrm
9. Essendon
10. Euro-Yroke
11. Waalitj Marawar
12. Geelong
13. Carlton
14. Western Bulldogs
15. Sydney
16. Greater Western Sydney
17. Gold Coast
18. Collingwood

*Our seven reporters completed our ladder predictor and picked their expected top eight. Their responses were then tallied and averaged out to get a combined predicted ladder.