KATIE Brennan will be hoping for an incident-free third season with the Western Bulldogs, which she will co-captain in 2019 alongside star onballer Ellie Blackburn.

The Bulldogs announced the co-captaincy arrangement on Wednesday afternoon.

Brennan, sole skipper in 2017-18, played only two games in 2017 with a right ankle injury and just four in 2018 as a result of similar foot issues. 

She also missed captaining the Bulldogs in their 2018 Grand Final win after two reprimands for rough conduct led to an automatic one-week suspension (a rule which has since been changed). 

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Blackburn had been acting captain for much of the past two seasons in Brennan's absence.

Defender Hannah Scott and midfielder Nicole Callinan maintain their positions in the leadership group for a third-straight year. They will be joined by tough midfielder Kirsty Lamb and promising forward Izzy Huntington. 

At Carlton, star defender Brianna Davey will remain captain for a second successive season. She will lead an expanded six-player leadership group in 2019.

Davey, 24, was Carlton's inaugural AFLW best and fairest and subsequently assumed the mantle as the club's skipper last season.

However, she ruptured the ACL in her right knee in just the second match of the club's 2018 campaign and missed the remainder of the year, as well as the entirety of last year's VFLW season.

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Davey is joined in the Blues' leadership group by experienced midfielder Katie Loynes, who has been named sole vice-captain.

Sarah Hosking retains her place in the leadership group, joined by Shae Audley, Darcy Vescio and Kerryn Harrington. 

Carlton had a three-player leadership group last year: Davey, Hosking and Lauren Arnell, who is now playing for Brisbane.

All 10 AFLW teams are taking part in practice matches on Saturday, with Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney expected to announce their leadership groups before the weekend.