Outgoing BFNL coach Brett Fitzpatrick has nominated two of his assistant coaches from this year's campaign as his ideal successor.

Fitzpatrick, who stepped down from the job after Saturday's loss to Hampden in Warrnambool, said Strathfieldsaye premiership coach Darryl Wilson and long-time Eaglehawk coach Luke Monaghan were ideally placed to take the reins for next year's campaign - most likely against Gippsland in Bendigo.

"I'd be surprised if they (Wilson and Monaghan) didn't show interest (in the job),'' Fitzpatrick said.

"They've been very successful at club level and I'm sure they'd be keen to enhance their coaching levels further.

"It's a great opportunity for the league because they (Wilson and Monaghan) are very familiar with the playing group and they're so well prepared in what they do."

Fitzpatrick said his third assistant coach Shawn Filo would also be a strong candidate, but his coaching duties at club level with Kangaroo Flat would make it hard.

Fitzpatrick steps down as inter-league coach having led the league from 2005-2008 and 2016-2018.

In his second stint he led the BFNL to a 31-point win over Gippsland in Warragul in 2016 before an 11-point loss to Ballarat at the QEO in 2017 and Saturday's nine-point defeat to Hampden.

The BFNL has dropped to 11th on the AFL Victoria Community Championship rankings, but Fitzpatrick said the future for the league was bright.

"If you look at our results from the past two years we haven't disappointed ourselves,'' Fitzpatrick said

"We performed strongly in both games, but couldn't get over the line. We're not far off it.

"Ballarat and Hampden had the better of us in terms of body size across the ground. Neither side dominated us it was just a matter of getting a few breaks."

Fitzpatrick said the league was much better-placed at inter-league now compared to when he completed his first coaching stint a decade ago.

"The uptake of the players and the club coaches is much stronger,'' he said.

"Back when I started in 2005 we were always around that 9, 10, 11 12 ranking. We're still around that now, but we now have four metropolitan leagues above us as well.

"We've probably improved over the journey of the past 10 years, but it's now taking that next step of getting inside the top eight."

Fitzpatrick previously coached Castlemaine and Sandhurst in the BFNL, but a return to club level now that his inter-league days are over appears unlikely.

"I'd never say never, but I doubt it,'' Fitzpatrick said of coaching at club level.

"I'm helping Castlemaine out on the sponsorship committee at the moment and I'm happy with that."