Ballarat Football League’s stirring AFL Victoria Community Championships victory over its Bendigo rivals has likely set up another clash with the Western Region competition in 2018.
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Following the release of the official statewide rankings, the WRFL and BFL look set to meet for the second time in three years.
Ballarat lost the 2016 interleague clash with WRFL by three points before securing an 11-point win over Bendigo on Saturday.
This result lifted the BFL to eighth place on the standings, one position below the WRFL, which suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the Northern league at the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Central Highlands competition has slipped to 25th position on the rankings following a four-point loss to the Southern league on Saturday.
The margin of the defeat was the same as the one against Geelong and District in 2016.
As it stands, the CHFL is set to clash with nearby Maryborough Castlemaine District next year.
The MCDFL beat Warrnambool and District at the weekend to climb to 26th position, one spot behind the Highlanders.
AFL Victoria has made it clear that the rankings list does not provide a schedule of matches for 2018, with leagues given the opportunity to opt-in or withdraw from the competition each season.
The final entries for participation in the 2018 championships are not requested by AFL Victoria until November.
Geelong is the number one ranked league in 2017.