Ballarat Football League is on the brink of being tipped out of the AFL Victoria Community Championships' top 10 rankings.
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The BFL has slipped to ninth after a hefty 74-point loss to Hampden in Ballarat on Saturday.
This is the lowest Ballarat has been in three years.
The Navy Blues were also ninth for the 2017 championships, but since then the higher-ranked Essendon District and Eastern have dropped out.
Only the continued absence of these two metro teams has kept Ballarat in the top 10 for next year.
The BFL was ranked seventh for the inaugural community championships in 2016, when country and metropolitan leagues were incorporated into the one competition.
However, with just one win in the four years of the statewide carnival Ballarat has been unable to get any higher.
Ballarat was originally ranked ninth for this season, but went up one spot to earn a clash with Hampden when Eastern withdrew.
In contrast, Hampden under the coaching of Jonathon Brown has gone from 11th in 2017 to sixth for next year after three consecutive wins.
Reinforcing the BFL's need to re-assert itself at this level is the fall from grace it has suffered in the past decade in country ranks.
Ballarat was ranked third in the former VCFL Country Championships in 2012 and still fourth in 2014.
It now has six fellow country leagues above it in the community championships, with number one Northern and Western Region the only metropolitan presence.
As long as all the leading leagues line up, the BFL faces a clash with Central Murray next season.
The CMFL, which is centred on Swan Hill and Kerang and stretches along the Murray River and into southern NSW, has been one of the big improvers at inter-league level.
It was ranked 22 in 2016 - just one spot ahead of the Central Highlands league.
Like the BFL, the CHFL has struggled to make an impact at representative level and after four consecutive defeats is ranked 23rd.
At this stage its likely opponent in 2002 will be Colac District, which defeated the now 27th ranked Maryborough Castlemaine District league.
The BFL's loss at the weekend sent shockwaves through the competition's hierarchy and those close to the inter-league program.
BFL joint chairmen Wayne Baker and Robert Allan immediately confirmed a review of the program would take place, with the Navy Blues having fielded a side well below full strength owing to many of the competition's best players not making themselves available.
They joined coach Chris Stuhldreier in calling for all clubs to give inter-league their full support by encouraging all players to get behind it.
Baker and Allan said all club presidents and secretaries, and player would be involved in the review process.
RANKINGS FOR 2020
1. Northern FNL
2. MPNFL
3. Geelong FNL
4. Goulburn Valley FL
5. Ovens & Murray FL
6. Hampden FNL
7. Western Region FL
8. Bendigo FNL
9. Ballarat FNL
10. Central Murray FNL
11. AFL Outer East
12. Wimmera FNL
13. Gippsland FNL
14. Bellarine FNL
15. Murray FNL
16. Heathcote DFNL
17. Geelong DFL
18. Riddell DFL
19. Sunraysia FL
20. North Central FL
21. Southern FNL
22. West Gippsland FL
23. CHFL
24. Colac DFNL
25. Ellinbank DFNL
26. Horsham DFL
27. MCDFNL
28. Kyabram DFNL
29. Loddon Valley FL
30. Golden Rivers FL