The Western Bulldogs have rewarded key defender Ryan Gardner with a three-year contract extension on the back of his 22-game season in 2022.
Gardner, 25, has been at the Bulldogs since 2019 when being picked up in the mid-season draft, but has had his injury and form issues in his time at Whitten Oval.
But given he was the club’s primary key defender for plenty of the Dogs’ 2022 campaign and had more consistency in his footy which resulted in a seventh-placed finish in the club’s best and fairest, Gardner’s future is secure until 2026.
“It’s such a great achievement for me personally – I’ve had a few hiccups along the way, so to be able to get a three-year contract is just an amazing feeling,” Gardner said in a club statement.
The Spoil King signs on 👑
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) February 9, 2023
📰 More details: https://t.co/UE122GApPG
“It was a pretty easy option to stay – I didn’t really feel like going anywhere else. I really love it here and I think it’s the best place for me to be.
“I just want to keep playing good footy and having a say down there in the backline. I’m only 25, so still have so much growth in front of me.
“I want to keep developing and see where it can take me.”
Dogs list manager Sam Power praised Gardener’s commitment to improvement in his time at the club.
“Ryan’s commitment since walking through the door has been first-class and this new contract is reward for his hard work and persistence,” he said.
“In the space of three seasons, Ryan has become a mainstay of the Bulldogs defence, playing with courage and consistency against the talented forwards of the competition.
“We still believe Ryan has plenty of growth in his football and we’re thrilled he has committed to us for the next three seasons.”
Gardner averaged 8.5 spoils and 5.3 marks across 2022 and has played 43 games in his time in red, blue and white.