Western Bulldogs AFLW head coach Nathan Burke has signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the Kennel until at least the end of the 2023 AFLW season.

In his two seasons at the helm so far, Burke has led the Bulldogs to six wins from 15 games, including a string of four straight wins during the 2021 season.

Burke said he was thrilled to be continuing as head coach and is excited for what he and the group can achieve together.

“I’ve signed quite a few contracts in my time as a player, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited as I was signing this one,” Burke said.

“Debbie Lee and I started on a journey together two years ago, so to be able to continue that with Deb and the players is wonderful.

“I’ve loved every moment so far – going to training is a highlight of my week.”

It hasn’t taken long for Burke to look ahead to season 2022 either, already laying the foundations for what he hopes to see from his group moving forward.

“We need to be fitter, we need to have better fundamentals and we need to have a game-plan that wins games,” Burke said.

“I also need to keep developing as a coach – it’s not just the players who need to keep improving their standards, I have a long way to go to be the best coach I can be for these players.”

“The untapped potential of our whole list is exciting. As a program we haven’t reached our limits yet, so I’m looking forward to exploring and pushing everyone to do that.”

Bulldogs’ General Manager of Women’s Football, Debbie Lee, said Burke had been a perfect fit for the team.

“We are thrilled to have Nathan continue as senior coach of our AFLW program,” Lee said.

“He has a great connection with our playing group, and combined with his simple and adaptable game plan, has resulted in significant improvement this season.

“We are excited that Nathan has signed on for a further two years, as this will enable us to further build on our foundations and ensure we continue to be competitive in the AFLW competition”.