BFNL Fixture winners and losers: Redan big winners, challenge awaits Roos

The league's 11 sides are set for an 18-round season, with six 'double-up' matches each over the final eight rounds.

The double-ups mean some sides enjoy an easier run home than others however, in an 11-team league it is not as uneven as the AFL, given sides only miss out on doubling up against four teams.

Here are every team's double-ups in season 2023:

Ranking teams by their percentage in 2022, it can be calculated which teams have an easier run home over others.

However, some sides - such as the Lakers - will not even have to dive into the percentages to feel as though they have drawn the short straw.

The wooden spooners from last season double up against four finalists from 2022 in Melton, Sebastopol, Darley and East Point.

It does not get any better for the Lakers when percentage is taken into account, who face the hardest fixture on paper when basing off of last season's percentages.

Sorted from easiest to hardest, here are the winners and losers in the BFNL 2023 fixture release:

While Melton holds the lowest average opponent percentage in 2023, the Bloods' average percentage was always likely to be healthy as they cannot match-up against their own 195.80 percentage from last season.

Although surprisingly, last year's reigning premiers double up against just two fellow finalists in fourth-placed Darley and fifth-placed East Point.

Redan, which finished seventh last season, can enjoy holding the third-easiest fixture in the league and easiest amongst other non-finalists.

Though the Lions double-up against four finalists from 2022, they avoid playing Melton twice this season.

Importantly, they double up against Melton South (53.49% in 2022) and Lake Wendouree (57.63%) for the second-consecutive season.

Out of the five teams that double up against both Melton South and Lake Wendouree in 2023, Redan is the only non-finalist.

Redan will be hoping it can pencil those four matches in as a valuable 16 points.

Sebastopol's 115.80 percentage from last season means it avoids the 'Melton effect', so the Burra's 93.84AOP is genuine and causes reason to celebrate.

Last year's runners-up double up against three top-six sides in North Ballarat (130.08%), East Point (110.33%) and Ballarat (106.82%), with the latter's percentage actually only sixth-highest in the league despite a third-placed finish.

Surprisingly, there will only be one chance for Sebastopol to get revenge over premiers Melton with the two sides meeting only once in 2023.

The grand finalists went 8-3 last season against sides they will double up against this season, losing to North Ballarat once and Ballarat twice.

Despite falling just one kick shy of a preliminary final appearance, Darley finds itself doubling up against only two fellow finals contenders in 2023.

The Devils face Melton (195.80%) twice which boosts their AOP a whopping 18.4 per cent, but also meet North Ballarat (130.08%) twice.

Darley's 103.78AOP is the lowest among sides that double up against Melton this season, as the Devils can look forward to matches against last season's bottom-four sides in Melton South (53.49%), Lake Wendouree (57.63%), Sunbury (100.78%) and Bacchus Marsh (84.93%).

East Point's road to redemption in 2023 has gotten a whole lot harder before it has even begun.

The Roos are the only side to double up against not only last year's top three ladder finishers, but also the top three percentage sides in Melton (195.80%), North Ballarat (130.08%) and Sebastopol (115.80%).

It means a hot start is made all the more important for the Roos as they know they face a challenging end to the season.

The Lakers' 57.63 percentage in 2022 was second worst in the league, yet the wooden spooners find themselves doubling up against four top-six sides in 2023.

Redan (104.71%) and Bacchus Marsh (84.93%) are the only non-finalists the Lakers will face twice this season, as the wooden spooners prepare for double-ups with both of last year's grand finalists as well as Darley and East Point.

This season already appears mighty challenging for last year's one-win club.

North Ballarat avoided the Melton double-up, but if anything it sugarcoats just how challenging the Roosters' fixture is.

Despite scraping into finals, the Roosters boasted the second-best percentage in the league last year with 130.08 per cent, but it was their record against fellow top-six sides that caused concern.

The Roosters went 3-8 in their 11 games against finals-bound sides last season and now, with the fixture released, know that they cannot afford to let that happen again.

The only other side to double-up against four top-six teams while avoiding Melton is Redan, however Redan also doubles-up against last season's bottom two sides (55.56AOP), whereas the Roosters face Redan (104.71%) and Sunbury (100.78%).

The full 2023 BFNL fixture can be found online here.