Emerging defender Buku Khamis has extended his stay at the Kennel.

The Category B rookie will call VU Whitten Oval home for a third season, after re-signing with the Western Bulldogs for 2021.

A product of the Bulldogs’ Next Generation Academy, Khamis is yet to debut at AFL level but has taken great strides since joining the Bulldogs at the end of 2018.

Buku has the attributes to be an AFL player. He’s a good size, he uses the ball well and he has improved his running capability.

- General Manager of List and Recruiting, Sam Power

“Buku’s development throughout 2020 was really pleasing,” General Manager of List and Recruiting, Sam Power, said.

“We saw this especially in the second half of the year, where he played some strong football in the scratch matches.

“Buku has the attributes to be an AFL player. He’s a good size, he uses the ball well and he has improved his running capability.

“We believe he will only continue to improve over the next 12 months.”

Khamis, a refugee from South Sudan, arrived in Australia in 2006 and began his football journey in the Bulldogs’ western suburbs heartland, with St Albans and the Western Jets.

The 20-year-old has also made an impact off-field in his time as a Bulldog.

He won the John Schultz Community Award in 2020 for his role as a mentor with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation’s GOAL Mentoring Program and as part of the Foundation’s African Action Plan working group.