1. Richmond

48 points (12 wins, three losses), 137.8 per cent

Four more games to come at the MCG, the Tigers' impenetrable fortress. And, a bit of a dream run when considering the opposition too, with clashes with four current bottom-eight sides from their last seven games. They'll be tested depth-wise next week against the Giants with up to three players set to be forced out with injury, but even that seems like it'll be a minor challenge with ready-made reinforcements like Nick Vlastuin and Bachar Houli ready to come in. In short, it continues to be sunny skies above Punt Road as the finals approach. ­- Jennifer Phelan

The run home
R17: Greater Western Sydney @ Spotless Stadium
R18: St Kilda @ Etihad Stadium
R19: Collingwood @ MCG
R20: Geelong @ MCG
R21: Gold Coast @ Metricon Stadium
R22: Essendon @ MCG
R23: Western Bulldogs @ MCG

LADDER PREDICTOR Where will your club finish?

2. Collingwood

44 points (11 wins, four losses), 122.2 per cent
After its seventh straight victory, Collingwood retains second spot on the ladder ahead of Port Adelaide and West Coast on percentage. That's why next Sunday's clash against the Eagles at the MCG will be so crucial in the context of the Magpies' season. Collingwood's next three weeks shape as vital for the club's top-four hopes, with a round 19 showdown against powerhouse Richmond to provide Nathan Buckley's men with a true indication of where they sit in the AFL pecking order. - Ben Guthrie

The run home
R17: West Coast @ MCG
R18: North Melbourne @ MCG
R19: Richmond @ MCG
R20: Sydney @ SCG
R21: Brisbane @ Etihad Stadium
R22: Port Adelaide @ MCG
R23: Fremantle @ Optus Stadium

3. West Coast

44 points (11 wins, four losses), 120.6 per cent
Sunday's win broke a three-game losing streak for the Eagles and was massive in the context of their season. The Magpies at the MCG will be a big test, particularly if West Coast's leading goalkickers in Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Mark LeCras remain sidelined. Defender Tom Barrass is expected to return to face the Magpies, providing some relief if Jeremy McGovern is to remain forward. - Nathan Schmook

The run home
R17: Collingwood @ MCG
R18: Western Bulldogs @ Optus Stadium
R19: North Melbourne @ Blundstone Arena
R20: Fremantle @ Optus Stadium
R21: Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R22: Melbourne @ Optus Stadium
R23: Brisbane @ Gabba

4. Port Adelaide

44 points (11 wins, four losses), 117.6 per cent
The Power have a great opportunity for a top-two berth, with only three of their remaining seven games against top-eight sides. The round 20 Showdown with Adelaide will also be challenging, irrespective of the Crows' position on the ladder. Pencil in the round 22 encounter with Collingwood at the MCG as essential viewing, while the round 18 clash with Greater Western Sydney and round 21 game against West Coast, both at Adelaide Oval, will also be intriguing. - Lee Gaskin

The run home
R17: Fremantle @ Optus Stadium
R18: Greater Western Sydney @ Adelaide Oval
R19: Western Bulldogs @ Mars Stadium, Ballarat
R20: Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R21: West Coast @ Adelaide Oval
R22: Collingwood @ MCG
R23: Essendon @ Adelaide Oval

FROM THE TWOS Who put their hand up in the second tier?

5. Sydney

40 points (10 wins, five losses), 118.3 per cent
Finishing in the top four suddenly seems a lot tougher for Swans after consecutive losses to top-eight sides Richmond and Geelong. It's not exactly a simple equation from here on in either, with games against North Melbourne, Essendon, GWS and Hawthorn, who are all desperate to crack a crowded top eight. With four wins and four losses from its SCG games this year, home is no longer the safe haven it once was for Sydney, and a mouth-watering round 20 clash against Collingwood in the harbour city awaits. - Sarah Black

The run home
R17: North Melbourne @ Etihad Stadium
R18: Gold Coast @ SCG
R19: Essendon @ Etihad Stadium
R20: Collingwood @ SCG
R21: Melbourne @ MCG
R22: Greater Western Sydney @ Spotless Stadium
R23: Hawthorn @ SCG 

Will the Swans' injuries catch up with them? Picture: Cameron Spencer, Getty Images/AFL Photos

6. Melbourne

36 points (nine wins, six losses), 127.8 per cent
Despite requesting more recovery time after future NT matches, Simon Goodwin says seven days won't be an excuse heading into a danger game with the Dogs. A Geelong win this weekend makes the round 18 trip down the highway even more crucial and the Crows at home will be no pushover. Saturday's win over Fremantle delivered a handy percentage booster – sitting second only to Richmond – and the Demons will be hoping for the same in round 20. Two wins in round 21-22 will have top-four hopes alive heading into the final match … two losses will bring flashbacks of last year's capitulation. - Mitch Cleary

The run home
R17: Western Bulldogs @ MCG
R18: Geelong @ GMHBA Stadium
R19: Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R20: Gold Coast @ MCG
R21: Sydney @ MCG
R22: West Coast @ Optus Stadium
R23: Greater Western Sydney @ MCG 

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7. Geelong 

36 points (nine wins, six losses), 123.1 per cent
The Cats' important 12-point win over Sydney sees them remain in touch with the top four and safe in the top eight for another week. Another high-quality Thursday night clash awaits Geelong, this time against last year's grand finalists Adelaide in Adelaide, a team who is slowly regaining injured stars. The Cats have four home games at GMHBA Stadium remaining – against Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle and Gold Coast – and all are highly winnable. If they can pinch a win against the reigning premiers in round 20 at the MCG, a top-four spot awaits. - Sarah Black

The run home
R17: Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R18: Melbourne @ GMHBA Stadium
R19: Brisbane @ GMHBA Stadium
R20: Richmond @ MCG
R21: Hawthorn @ MCG
R22: Fremantle @ GMHBA Stadium
R23: Gold Coast @ GMHBA Stadium 

8. Hawthorn

36 points (nine wins, six losses), 118.1 per cent
The Hawks bounced back with an unexpected, and potentially critical, percentage-boosting win over the dangerous Bulldogs and will now set their sights on similar missions against the lowly Lions, Blues and Dockers. Perhaps the most positive development in their win over the Dogs was that their chief forwards Luke Breust, Jack Gunston and skipper Jarryd Roughead worked beautifully together. Can this tried and true trio spark another flag tilt this year? - Ben Collins

The run home
R17: Brisbane @ University of Tasmania Stadium
R18: Carlton @ Etihad Stadium
R19: Fremantle @ Optus Stadium
R20: Essendon @ MCG
R21: Geelong @ MCG
R22: St Kilda @ Etihad Stadium
R23: Sydney @ SCG 

9. North Melbourne

36 points (nine wins, six losses), 116.0 per cent
The Kangaroos face a tough run over their next three matches, coming up against sides in the top five, which will shape their finals chances. What helps is where they play. Hosting Sydney and then facing Collingwood at the MCG are both winnable games, while the clash with West Coast in Tasmania could give them enough of an edge. After that, the fixture looks easier, with the Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and Brisbane occupying 14th, 15th and 16th on the ladder respectively. - Dinny Navaratnam

The run home
R17: Sydney @ Etihad Stadium
R18: Collingwood @ MCG
R19: West Coast @ Blundstone Arena
R20: Brisbane @ Gabba
R21: Western Bulldogs @ Etihad Stadium
R22: Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R23: St Kilda @ Etihad Stadium

10. Greater Western Sydney

34 points (eight wins, six losses, one draw), 111.7 per cent
The Giants slid from sixth place at the start of the round down to 10th on the back of a crushingly narrow loss to West Coast. Their season is now on a knife's edge with difficult clashes to come against the reigning premier and then Port Adelaide. The losses of Jeremy Cameron and Jon Patton looked all the more significant when the Giants couldn't take their chances against the Eagles, and their midfielders weren't allowed to run wild. - Nathan Schmook

The run home
R17: Richmond @ Spotless Stadium
R18: Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R19: St Kilda @ Spotless Stadium
R20: Carlton @ Etihad Stadium
R21: Adelaide @ UNSW Canberra Oval
R22: Sydney @ Spotless Stadium
R23: Melbourne @ MCG

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11. Adelaide 

28 points (seven wins, eight losses), 97.4 per cent
Any positivity gleaned from last week's unexpected win over West Coast was short-lived when the Crows were smashed by Richmond in the last quarter on Friday night. The loss has made making the finals a tough equation; they're two games out of the eight now with a tough run against five current top-eight sides to come. The upside is they've got more games at Adelaide Oval than away, although one of those is against Port Adelaide and therefore carries no home ground advantage. It's looking increasingly like finals will be an unlikely proposition for the Crows this year. - Jennifer Phelan

The run home
R17: Geelong @ Adelaide Oval
R18: Brisbane @ Gabba
R19: Melbourne @ Adelaide Oval
R20: Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval
R21: Greater Western Sydney @ UNSW Canberra Oval
R22: North Melbourne @ Adelaide Oval
R23: Carlton @ Etihad Stadium 

12. Essendon

28 points (seven wins, eight losses), 94.2 per cent
The Bombers remain only a slim chance to feature in September, with their loss to Collingwood leaving them two games and significant percentage outside the eight. Still, stranger things have happened and the Bombers have to pretty much win every game from here – and by plenty. Whichever way its season finishes, Essendon will rue a four-game losing streak between rounds five and eight and wonder what might have been. - Ben Guthrie

The run home
R17: Gold Coast @ Metricon Stadium
R18: Fremantle @ Etihad Stadium
R19: Sydney @ Etihad Stadium
R20: Hawthorn @ MCG
R21: St Kilda @ Etihad Stadium
R22: Richmond @ MCG
R23: Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval 

Essendon rues what might have been after a close loss to Collingwood. Picture: AFL Photos

13. Fremantle

24 points (six wins, nine losses), 82.4 per cent
Technically, the Dockers retain some hope of September action and with five of their remaining seven games at Optus Stadium, it's not impossible. The absence of superstar skipper Nat Fyfe for the next few weeks, however, all but outweighs the mathematical chance. If they don't improve dramatically on what they served up against Melbourne on Saturday night, it's curtains. - Michael Rogers 

The run home
R17: Port Adelaide @ Optus Stadium
R18: Essendon @ Etihad Stadium
R19: Hawthorn @ Optus Stadium
R20: West Coast @ Optus Stadium
R21: Carlton @ Optus Stadium
R22: Geelong @ GMHBA Stadium
R23: Collingwood @ Optus Stadium 

14. Western Bulldogs

20 points (five wins, 10 losses), 74.3 per cent
To have any chance, the young Dogs would need to win each of their remaining seven games, and win most of them handsomely. Mathematically it's still possible but if it's not impossible after their clash with Melbourne next round, it will be after they face West Coast in Perth the following week. - Ben Collins

The run home
R17: Melbourne @ MCG
R18: West Coast @ Optus Stadium
R19: Port Adelaide @ Mars Stadium, Ballarat
R20: St Kilda @ Etihad Stadium
R21: North Melbourne @ Etihad Stadium
R22: Carlton @ Etihad Stadium
R23: Richmond @ MCG