Players have been left stranded. Clubs are waiting. Administrators unenviably tasked with mapping a way out.

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The three-week break has indeed thrown a cat among the pigeons.

It remains to be seen what the rest of the season will look like, but solely taking the abandoned rounds seven and eight into account, some clubs could be set to benefit more than others.

Here are the winners and losers from the abandoned rounds.

A 5-1 record is no small feat for a young side, but the Roosters have benefited from a lighter start to the season.

Round seven and eight would have seen second-placed North Ballarat come up against Bacchus Marsh, who sits in third, and league leaders Melton.

As the fixture stands, without any changes, North Ballarat will not play Melton in any later rounds, starving the competition of a heavyweight hitout.

While North Ballarat is still scheduled to play Bacchus Marsh in round 14, the lack of early games against fellow frontrunners can be viewed in two ways.

For the pessimists, it's a lack of a challenge for one of the premiership favourites and a way to dodge losing points.

However, for the steadfast, it's a missed chance for the Roosters to assert their dominance with wins against premier opponents.

It's been a hit-and-miss start to the season for the Lions, and while the best sides always hope to correct their course with on-field performances, the mid-season break might offer the perfect chance to reset for Jarrett Giampaolo's group.

More than anything, three weeks off will be a reprieve on the injury front for Redan.

The Lions have been one of the worst-hit sides by injury this campaign.

Some were season-ending, namely Liam Hoy (Achilles), but the Lions can expect an influx of players returning from soft-tissue injuries and the broad knocks and niggles that have plagued the league this season.

The reigning premiers had one of the hardest starts to the season, playing all of the sides that currently sit in finals spots.

The Roos were finally set to play some easier opponents on paper, in Ballarat, in ninth, and the winless Darley, before the season was put on ice.

Should the fixture not change, East Point will not get another chance to play the Devils and earn vital points.

The Roos will play Ballarat again but have second dates with Melton, Sebastopol and North Ballarat first.

The Cobras have been one of the season's surprise packages and sent a fair warning when they restricted Redan to one goal last time out.

The win was emphatic and confidence-boosting.

Then, the bye arrived.

A week off wasn't overly burdensome, but that one week soon extended into two, and later three by virtue of the lockdown.

When the competition resumes, Bacchus Marsh will have spent longer on the sidelines than anyone else.

It's not much in the wider context, but it's a blow for a side that had momentum.

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