SYDNEY and Carlton will shake off their form slumps and finish in the top four while Hawthorn will just fall short of a spot in the finals, according to our reporters.

AFL.com.au's team of seven journalists have used our ladder predictor to tip the final make-up of the top eight, and they're predicting the Swans to respond to their horror loss to Port Adelaide and finish the season on top of the ladder.

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The Blues have also been backed to buck their recent form and finish fourth, with Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs also predicted to finish in the top four.

The Swans and Blues have won a combined two games from their past 11, both against North Melbourne, in a worrying form slump at the wrong end of the season.

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Our reporters are expecting Port Adelaide, Geelong, Fremantle and Greater Western Sydney to fill spots 5-8 on the ladder, meaning Hawthorn, Essendon and Collingwood are all expected to fall short in their push for September action.

Only one reporter backed the Hawks to sneak into finals, with the Dockers dropping out.

AFL.com.au's predicted final ladder*

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

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

* 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