BRISBANE'S stunning run is set to culminate in a top-two finish, while Hawthorn's red-hot form is not quite enough to land a finals spot, according to AFL.com.au's expert team of reporters.

Saturday's QClash win over Gold Coast was the Lions' eighth in a row, and they are now being tipped to finish second and earn a home qualifying final, ahead of Carlton.

>> SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL PREDICTED LADDER

The Blues are still expected to finish third, but three non-Victorian teams are set to feature in the top four, with Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle joining Carlton.

Only two teams – the Swans and Lions – were unanimously picked to finish in the top four.

Despite 11 wins from their past 14 games, the Hawks haven't quite broken into the top eight at season's end.

Hawthorn is tipped to finish ninth, with Port Adelaide – fresh off its upset win over Carlton – moving into the top eight at the expense of struggling Essendon in comparison to last week's predictions.

The Bombers have slipped to 11th on the reporters' ladder at season's end, following a run of six defeats in their past eight games.

According to our reporters, the bottom seven is relatively set, with those standings unchanged from last week's predictions.

AFL.com.au's predicted final ladder*

1. Sydney
2. Brisbane
3. Carlton
4. Fremantle
5. Western Bulldogs
6. Geelong
7. Greater Western Sydney
8. Port Adelaide

9. Hawthorn
10. Gold Coast
11. Essendon
12. Melbourne
13. Collingwood
14. St Kilda
15. Adelaide
16. North Melbourne
17. West Coast
18. Richmond

* Seven of our 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