Western Bulldogs captain and star midfielder Ellie Blackburn has confirmed she will remain at the Kennel for season seven of the NAB AFLW competition.

Despite being offered a deal from expansion club Sydney, the 27-year-old said she simply couldn’t leave the red, white and blue.

“At the end of the day, for me it was always going to be hard to consider leaving the Dogs and in the end I couldn’t do it,” Blackburn told Gerard Healy and Sam McClure on 3AW Sportsday.

“To be honest, I can’t fault Sydney at all in what they’re doing – speaking openly and honestly, I think Kate (Mahony) who is their GM of Football up there and running the program is going to do an incredible job. Scott Gowans is a great coach as well, so I think their program itself is going to be fantastic.

“For me, I love being at the Dogs – I’m really passionate about what we’re building and what we’re creating there so it’s a great opportunity to stay at the Club.

“I’m the captain of the Club and I really want to drive that and be a part of success in hopefully the not-too-distant future. I’m really excited to stay at the Western Bulldogs and be a part of that.

“I love the fact I’m going to stay at Whitten Oval.”

Teammate Kirsty Lamb also confirmed her decision to remain at the Kennel, despite interest from rival clubs, with the two addressing the Bulldogs’ faithful via social media prior to the W Awards.

Since signing as a marquee player ahead of the inaugural AFLW season, Blackburn has played 47 games in the red, white and blue.

She is also a premiership captain (2018), three-time All Australian (2017, 2018, 2021) and two-time Club Champion (2017, 2021).