COLLINGWOOD premiership star Dale Thomas has admitted his two-year contract extension with the Magpies is worth less than he was offered by incoming franchise Greater Western Sydney.

The 24-year-old confirmed he had agreed to a new deal that would keep him in black and white until the end of 2013 on Friday, first via Twitter and then in a video published on the club's website.

In the video, he confirmed he had been made an offer by the Giants, and hoped he and fellow recently-committed Magpies Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury had provided a good example to the club's younger players by remaining with the Pies.

Thomas said he spoke to the Giants earlier in the year, and his manager Paul Connors handled discussions from there.

He said his decision to stay with the Magpies wasn't based on money alone.

"The [Giants'] offer was greater than what I've eventually signed for but it wasn't a decision made on numbers purely," he said.

"I think I'm lucky that the decision was made a lot easier by the club that I'm at now. We're a very strong and powerful club and at the minute we're up the right end of the ladder, so to speak.

"That and the position we've come off last year with winning the premiership, and hopefully the group we've got can go forward and win another one. I think that makes it a hell of a lot easier.

"You can understand why players who are at clubs that aren't going as well as say Collingwood, it would make that decision a hell of a lot tougher."

Thomas said he was contacted by fans through letters and on Twitter as they attempted to convince him to reject the Giants' advances.

But he said he was always keen to remain a Magpie, and had reassured his mother throughout the season he was bound to stay in Victoria.

And, he used Twitter shortly before 12pm on Friday to let his followers know first he was staying at the club, with the Tweet, "The ink is drying!"

"I'm rapt to have finally put pen to paper. It probably took a little bit longer than we thought but I'm very happy with the end result," he then told the website.

"The answer all along was that hopefully I would stay and it's panned out that way.

"These things do take time and I think the media get a little bit excited when they hear your manager is meeting with the club and expect an outcome straight away, whereas most of the people in football realise that isn't the case."

Thomas said there had been no pressure from the club to make his decision and he had been left to make up his own mind.

He also said incoming coach Nathan Buckley had sat down with him and Pendlebury - who signed a one-year deal in May - at the start of the season to outline his planned direction for the club.

"It wasn't so much, 'you have to stay', it was just more of what he was going to do next year," he said.

"It was to make sure the decision we made would have been knowing and understanding fully what he was going to bring to the table."

Swan recommitted in March for a further three years. With Thomas the last of the three out-of-contract midfielders to re-sign, the latter hopes the younger Magpies are influenced by their decisions.

"Hopefully what Swanny and Pendles and myself have done in re-signing, and somewhat burning off the bigger franchises, can really send a positive message to the younger boys coming through that your decision isn't just made about the money side of things but that hopefully the success and the premierships are what you come to footy clubs for," he said.

"Hopefully what we've done will send a positive message to them."

Thomas is currently serving a two-match suspension for rough conduct against Fremantle's Garrick Ibbotson, and will miss Friday night's clash with Geelong and the Magpies' first final against West Coast next Saturday.

He said he was "almost off to Arizona" this week but would instead receive a program from the club's fitness staff that would ensure he was fit to return in either the semi or preliminary final.

 Jennifer Witham covers Collingwood news for the AFL Website. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.