AFL Victoria Country has announced the Hampden league will host its seventh-versus-eighth country championships clash against Murray on May 23 or 24.

But the Warrnambool and District league faces an arduous trek to take on its opponent Mid Gippsland, with its rival awarded hosting rights.

The venues for both clashes have not been decided.

It’s the second time in five years Hampden has played Murray. The Bottle Greens thumped Murray by 69 points when they met at Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve in 2011.

Hampden chief executive officer Mike Farrow said the league had lobbied AFL Victoria Country for the hosting rights after travelling to Wangaratta earlier this year for a record 125-point hammering from Ovens and Murray.

Farrow said the league’s executive was scheduled to meet next Monday where interleague venue and format would be discussed.

He said the league was keen to play an under 18½ curtain-raiser clash with Murray but he had to speak with the Murray league.

When the leagues last met at Shepparton, they played an under 18 match which featured Koroit’s Marty Gleeson, who was drafted by Essendon the following year.

“That would be the ideal scenario to play under 18½s as well,” Farrow said.

“If it’s not, we will always very much consider doing our east-versus-west match.”

The league is yet to call for coaching applications after Nick O’Sullivan’s decision to stand down after this year’s loss to Ovens Murray.

Farrow said the league expected to advertise the position mid next month. 

Warrnambool and District league president Ken McSween said his executive was in the process of confirming the details of its clash against Mid Gippsland.

The fixture could include an under 17½  football and senior netball match, although McSween said discussions were in their infancy.

The WDFNL is also on the hunt for a new coach following Simon O’Keefe’s move from Panmure to Koroit during the off-season.

McSween said he was content the venue for the match would be more than four hours away, despite the fixturing ending thoughts of an interleague double-header.

“I don’t think it matters much. It’s nice and it’d increase crowd participation but you’d have to split (the gate) four ways,” he said.

“I still think if there was only one game in town, the majority of those people would come. Last year (at Colac) proved that.

“Out of the day, I’m pretty sure we made a profit but then there were a few outside expenses back home.”

Warrnambool and District has played Colac and District in its past two interleague encounters since reviving the concept in 2013.