Ellie Blackburn

Ellie Blackburn (born 25 March 1995) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She has served as Western Bulldogs captain since 2019, including as co-captain with Katie Brennan in 2019.

Ellie Blackburn
Blackburn playing for the Western Bulldogs in 2018
Personal information
Full name Ellie Blackburn
Date of birth (1995-03-25) 25 March 1995
Original team(s) Melbourne University (VFLW)
Draft 2016 marquee signing
Debut Round 1, 2017, Western Bulldogs
vs. Fremantle, at VU Whitten Oval
Height 169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder / forward
Club information
Current club Western Bulldogs
Number 2
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017– Western Bulldogs 29 (15)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2017 Victoria 1 (3)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 1, 2021.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2017.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Blackburn was drafted by the Bulldogs in 2016 as a marquee signing prior to the inaugural AFL Women's season, and is a dual AFL Women's All-Australian. In 2017, Blackburn won the Bulldogs' inaugural leading goalkicker award and was the joint winner (with Emma Kearney) of the inaugural Western Bulldogs best and fairest award, and in 2018, Blackburn captained the Bulldogs to their first AFL Women's premiership in the absence of Brennan.

Early life

Blackburn began playing competitive football in the under-9s division for the Beaconsfield Junior Football Club.[1][2] 2011 saw her named player of the carnival at the national under-18 championships. In 2013, she was the captain of the Victorian side at the under 18 championships, where she was named the competition's best-and-fairest player.[2][3] She was awarded under 18 All-Australian selection in 2011, 2012, and her final year of eligibility in 2013.[1]

She attended high school at Hallam Senior College in Melbourne's outer east.[1] Blackburn played state football for Melbourne University in the VFL Women's (VFLW). She was drafted by Melbourne with the thirteenth pick in the inaugural women's draft in 2013 and represented the club in the women's exhibition games between 2013 and 2016.[2] Over this time she averaged 20 disposals per match for the club.[2] In July 2016, Blackburn was signed by the Western Bulldogs – the team that she played against in all of the exhibition matches – as one of two marquee players ahead of the inaugural AFL Women's season.[4]

AFL Women's career

Blackburn was announced as a member of the Bulldogs' inaugural four-woman leadership group in late January 2017.[5] Blackburn made her debut in round 1, 2017, against Fremantle at Whitten Oval.[6] She was named among the Bulldogs' best, recording twelve disposals and kicking her first league goal in the match. In round 3, Blackburn was named the Bulldogs' best, recording a team high twenty-six disposals and six tackles for the match.[7] Blackburn was highlighted as "Player of the Week" by the AFL Players Association for her round 5 performance in the 2017 AFL Women's season.[8] At the end of the season, Blackburn was second in the competition for kicks, one behind Melbourne's Karen Paxman.[9] Teammates also spoke highly of her leadership after she captained the team for majority of the season, with captain Katie Brennan injured.[8] At the end of the 2017 season, Blackburn was nominated by her teammates for the AFL Players' Most Valuable Player Award[10] and was listed in the 2017 AFL Women's All-Australian team.[11] In May 2017, she was announced as the co-winner of the inaugural Western Bulldogs best and fairest award alongside Emma Kearney.[12] The Western Bulldogs signed Blackburn for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017.[13] On 2 September, Blackburn played for Victoria in the inaugural AFL Women's State of Origin match, where she was named among Victoria's best players with three goals.[14]

In round 4 of the 2019 season, Blackburn was knocked out in a collision and stretchered off the ground in a neck brace.[15]

Leading into the 2020 season, womens.afl journalist Sarah Black named Blackburn at no. 10 on her list of the top 30 players in the AFLW.[16] Despite suffering a hand injury in a practice match,[17][18] she was able to play in round 1, and was selected in womens.afl's Team of the Week for that round.[19] Blackburn was selected in the initial 40-woman squad for the 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian team,[20][21][22] and was also selected in the AFL Players Association's 2017–2019 retrospective AFL Women's 22under22 team.[23]

Leading into the 2021 season, Sarah Black again named Blackburn at no. 10 on her annual list of the top 30 players in the AFLW.[24] Blackburn was best afield for the Western Bulldogs in their round 1 loss to St Kilda, accumulating 21 disposals and kicking two goals,[25] and was selected in womens.afl's Team of the Week for that round.[26]

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of round 1, 2021.[27]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Significant statistics
§ Led the league for the home-and-away season and after finals
# Played in that season's premiership team
AFLW playing statistics
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2017Western Bulldogs2 7612§1013513617260.91.7§14.45.019.42.43.710
2018#Western Bulldogs2 8361023313523260.40.912.84.116.92.93.36
2019Western Bulldogs2 723863512119270.30.412.35.017.32.73.96
2020Western Bulldogs2 622723210413250.30.312.05.317.32.24.26
2021Western Bulldogs2 12117421552.01.017.04.021.05.05.0
Career 291524378139517771090.50.813.04.817.82.73.828

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References
  1. "#26 Ellie Blackburn". VWFL. Sports TG. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  2. "Player Profile: Ellie Blackburn". Western Bulldogs. Bigpond. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. "AFL Women's Draft". Hallam Senior College. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. "Women's AFL: Who are the marquee players?". ABC. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  5. Waterworth, Ben (2 February 2017). "Captains and leadership group members for every AFLW club for 2017 season". Fox Sports. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  6. Navaratnam, Dinny (4 February 2017). "Dogs dominate wayward Freo women's side". afl.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  7. Matthews, Bruce (18 February 2017). "AFLW: Demons far too good for Bulldogs". afl.com.au. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  8. "AFLW Player Of The Week: Round 5". AFL Players Association. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  9. @championdata (4 March 2017). "AFLW Player Stat Leaders after Round 5 matches.(Ties ordered by games played, player name)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. "AFLW MVP Nominations Revealed". AFL Players Association. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  11. Navaratnam, Dinny (28 March 2017). "Lions, Crows dominate AFLW All Australian team". afl.com.au. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  12. @bulldogsw (19 May 2017). "Your winners of the 2017 Western Bulldogs AFLW Best and Fairest!! #RealStrength" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. "AFLW: All the clubs' full lists after trade period". afl.com.au. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  14. Black, Sarah (2 September 2017). "AFLW: Daisy stands tall as Big V dominates". afl.com.au. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  15. "AFLW: Dogs Suffer Second Straight Loss". Western Bulldogs. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  16. Black, Sarah (28 January 2020). "Sarah Black's top 30: Just can't stop this X-factor Dog". womens.afl. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  17. Black, Sarah; Canil, Jourdan (27 January 2020). "AFLW practice match wrap: Dees take down Pies, Roos, Saints, Tigers flex muscle". womens.afl. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  18. Ryan, Peter (25 January 2020). "Daisy Pearce shows class in comeback, Bulldogs captain injured". The Age. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  19. Black, Sarah (11 February 2020). "AFLW Team of the Week, round one". womens.afl. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  20. Black, Sarah (3 April 2020). "REVEALED: Magpies lead the way in All-Australian squad". womens.afl. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  21. "AFLW statement: 2020 AFLW All-Australian Squad". womens.afl. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  22. Negrepontis, Nic (3 April 2020). "Official 2020 AFLW All-Australian squad revealed". SEN. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  23. Black, Sarah (26 March 2020). "Crows dominate inaugural 22under22 squad". womens.afl. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  24. Black, Sarah (27 January 2021). "Sarah Black's top 30 AFLW players: Blues dynamo rockets up to No.1". womens.afl. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  25. Twomey, Callum (29 January 2021). "Saints hold off fast-finishing Dogs in Friday night cracker". womens.afl. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  26. Black, Sarah (2 February 2021). "AFLW Team of the Week, round one". womens.afl. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  27. "Ellie Blackburn". Australian Football. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
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