THE Wimmera Football League fixture has been released with several new special events set in stone for the 2017 season.
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Reigning premiers Horsham Saints are in for a headlining first match up when they face Horsham Demons in an Anzac Day derby.
It will be the first year that the league hosts a Good Friday Football match which will be contested between the Stawell Warriors and Ararat Rats.
The final two rounds of the season have been changed this year with round 15 being made a ranking round from the 2016 campaign.
Round 16 will be a neighbor round to reduce travel for clubs.
All clubs will have either a Sunday game or a night game except for the Warrack Eagles.
There will be six feature games this season.
Round two will be the Blue Ribbon Round which is an internationally recongised round in football.
Interleague will be played on May 13 in between round three and four.
A full bye will be awarded on June 10 and July 15.
Round 12 will see Indigenous Round take place in Dimboola between the Roos and Horsham Demons.
Stawell will host the Horsham Saints in the White Ribbon Round on August 12.
Ararat will host Nhill in the Pelican Cup in round 14.
The Grand Final has been moved back to the fixtures original slot on September 23, the week before the AFL Grand Final.
General manager for Western Victoria Football Stephen McQueen said the reasoning behind moving the final back to the week before the AFL Grand Final was because it did not fit.
“It fit nicely in 2016 but it just didn’t fit this year,” he said.
“There isn’t really much out of the ordinary this year other than the final two rounds and the Good Friday game.”
The Wimmera Football League draw is as follows:
Round 1:
Stawell Warriors host Ararat Rats, Good Friday Match, April 14.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Nhill, night game, April 22.
Dimboola Roos host Warrack Eagles, April 22.
Horsham Demons host Horsham Saints, Anzac Day, Night, April 25.
Round 2:
Blue Ribbon Round
Warrack Eagles host Minyip-Murtoa Burras, April 29.
Nhill Tigers host Stawell Warriors, April 29.
Horsham Saints host Dimboola Roos, April 30.
Ararat Rats host Horsham Demons, April 30.
Round 3:
All on May 6.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Horsham Saints.
Dimboola Roos host Ararat Rats.
Horsham Demons host Stawell Warriors, night.
Warrack Eagles host Nhill Tigers.
Interleague – May 13
Round 4:
All on May 20.
Ararat Rats host Minyip-Murtoa Burras.
Stawell Warriors host Dimboola Roos.
Nhill Tigers host Horsham Demons.
Horsham Saints host Warrack Eagles.
Round 5:
All on May 27.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Stawell Warriors.
Horsham Demons host Dimboola Roos.
Nhill Tigers host Horsham Saints.
Warrack Eagles host Ararat Rats.
Round 6:
All on June 3.
Horsham Demons host Minyip-Murtoa Burras.
Dimboola Roos host Nhill Tigers.
Stawell Warriors host Warrack Eagles.
Ararat Rats host Horsham Saints.
Full round bye on June 10.
Round 7:
All on June 17.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Dimboola Roos.
Warrack Eagles host Horsham Demons.
Horsham Saints host Stawell Warriors.
Nhill Tigers host Ararat Rats.
Round 8:
Ararat Rats host Stawell Warriors, June 24.
Nhill Tigers host Minyip-Murtoa Burras, June 24.
Warrack Eagles host Dimboola, Brim, June 24.
Horsham Saints host Horsham Demons, June 25.
Round 9:
All on July 1.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Warrack Eagles.
Dimboola Roos host Horsham Saints.
Horsham Demons host Ararat Rats.
Stawell Warriors host Nhill Tigers
Round 10:
All on July 8.
Horsham Saints host Minyip-Murtoa Burras.
Ararat Rats host Dimboola Roos.
Stawell Warriors host Horsham Demons.
Nhill Tigers host Warrack Eagles.
Full round bye on July 15.
Round 11:
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Ararat Rats.
Dimboola Roos host Stawell Warriors.
Horsham Demos host Nhill Tigers.
Warrack Eagles host Horsham Saints, Brim.
Round 12:
Indigenous round, all on July 29.
Stawell Warriors host Minyip-Murtoa Burras.
Dimboola Roos host Horsham Demons, Indigenous round feature game.
Horsham Saints host Nhill Tigers.
Ararat Rats host Warrack Eagles.
Round 13:
All on August 5.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Horsham Demons.
Nhill Tigers host Dimboola Roos.
Warrack Eagles host Stawell Warriors.
Horsham Saints host Ararat Rats.
Round 14:
White Ribbon round, all on August 12.
Dimboola Roos host Minyip-Murtoa Burras.
Horsham Demons host Warrack Eagles.
Stawell Warriors host Horsham Saints, White Ribbon round feature match.
Ararat Rats host Nhill Tigers, Pelican Cup.
Round 15:
All on August 19.
Nhill Tigers host Dimboola Roos.
Minyip-Murtoa Burras host Horsham Saints.
Warrack Eagles host Ararat Rats.
Stawell Warriors host Horsham Demons.
Round 16:
All on August 26.
Ararat Rats host Stawell Warriors.
Dimboola Roos host Warrack Eagles.
Horsham Saints host Nhill Tigers.
Horsham Demons host Minyip-Murtoa Burras.
Qualifying final – September 2
Elimination final – September 3
Second semi-final – September 9
First semi-final – September 10
Preliminary final – September 17
Grand Final – September 23