Western Bulldogs captain Ellie Blackburn has claimed her fourth Club best and fairest award.
It caps off an impressive and ultra-consistent campaign for the 27-year-old, who led the count from start to finish, polling 94 votes overall.
Blackburn averaged 20 disposals, three marks, five clearances and five tackles from 11 games this season.
She also led the Club for total disposals (215), metres gained (4215m), clearances (52) and tackles (58), while finishing third across the league for average inside 50s (4.3).
The triple All Australian was also named in the squad of 42 players for a record seventh time – one of just three players to achieve the feat - and became the Club’s first AFLW 50-gamer in round three.
It is the second time this year Blackburn has been crowned the best and fairest Bulldog - having shared the top honour with Kirsty Lamb in season six - and the third-straight time she has won the award.
Blackburn was also named a joint-winner in the inaugural 2017 season, before finishing outright first in 2021.
She now sits in the same company as her Bulldog mens’ counterpart, Marcus Bontempelli, who has also won four Club best and fairests.
Emerging ruck Alice Edmonds was named runner-up with 78 votes, following an impressive rise in season seven, ahead of hard-working midfielder Isabelle Pritchard in third place with 70 votes.
Midfield bull Kirsty Lamb (61 votes) and young gun Jess Fitzgerald (49) rounded out the top five.
It was a successful night for the top five, with Edmonds also claiming the Most Improved award, Pritchard recognised as the Best Young Player, and Fitzgerald taking both the Coaches’ Award and Community Award home.
In other honours, All Australian defender Katie Lynch was voted the Domestique, Isabella Grant claimed the Trainers’ Award, and Gabby Newton finished the season as the Leading Goalkicker with eight majors.
At the conclusion of each match, the senior coach and three assistant coaches individually award as many 3-2-1 votes as they like. A player can obtain a maximum of 12 votes for any particular game.
AFLW Season Seven Bulldogs’ Best and Fairest: Top 10
Ellie Blackburn – 94 votes
Alice Edmonds – 78
Isabelle Pritchard – 70
Kirsty Lamb – 61
Jess Fitzgerald – 49
Katie Lynch – 39
Deanna Berry – 37
Sarah Hartwig – 33
Isabella Grant – 31
Rylie Wilcox – 30
Other award winners:
Coaches’ Award – Jess Fitzgerald
Community Award – Jess Fitzgerald
Trainers’ Award – Isabella Grant
Domestique – Katie Lynch
Best Young Player – Isabelle Pritchard
Most Improved – Alice Edmonds
Leading Goalkicker – Gabby Newton
