Player Watch #21 Errol Gulden - born to play: 2024 All Australian

[Kennedy Parker]

Errol Gulden

Errol Gulden | AFL

Follow Errol Gulden's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[BloodySwan]

I think much of the "Parker turns it over" refrain comes from what he typically does if he wins ball at centre bounces. Throws it on his boot and hacks it forward.

But those who criticise Parker for that fail to acknowledge that Mills, Rowbottom and others typically do the same thing. It seems like a team tactic if the ball is won in traffic and the forward line is still uncluttered from the 6-6-6 start to just get territory and take it from there. There's been more sophistication in the centre clearances this year but that must be partly the Grundy effect. And we're yet to see Parker (or Mills) contest centre bounces alongside Grundy.

Parker is a superb goal converter, which suggests there's not a whole lot wrong technically with his kicking.

Well said. Mids who win the hard ball do turnover a lot. They don't have the time and space to make a better decision.

Gulden was brilliant last season, but I like him a lot more this season when we is just behind play. We can utilise his kick a lot more when he has the time

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

Errol looked a little bit cooked on the weekend. This 100% TOG experiment needs to end. We are going to wear him out unnecessarily.

 

[wills2g]

Errol looked a little bit cooked on the weekend. This 100% TOG experiment needs to end. We are going to wear him out unnecessarily.

I think the coaches know that this is a weapon and theres enough evidence, save it for the finals

Also being on the ground, hes probably getting less messages compared to other players. Can be a bit selfish and can spray other team mates when things arent going his way. Going bench and speaking with coaches can help him reset

 

[The King!]

I think the coaches know that this is a weapon and theres enough evidence, save it for the finals

Also being on the ground, hes probably getting less messages compared to other players. Can be a bit selfish and can spray other team mates when things arent going his way. Going bench and speaking with coaches can help him reset

I think if Errol is collecting them in defence when the side is not protecting a lead and needs to win is a massive win to the opposition. I want Errol getting inside 50s

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

Not even the mighty Jack Hiscox

Jack Hiscox

Age

29

Ht

184cm

Wt

74kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

2.0

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.0

3star

CL

0.0

1star

No current season stats available

D

7.0

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

2.0

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.0

3star

CL

0.0

1star

could go at 100% effort with 100% TOG. Errol is an impact player, an attacking weapon.

 

[DobmusEdge]

Worst game I’ve seen him play by a long way

Started with missing handballs twice that lead to saints first goal and went down hill from there - kicked to opposition, kicked to the fans , opposition again, and on it went …until it didn’t - one touch in the last quarter as we coughed up a big lead to seal a miserable day

A true stinker. Expect it to be a one off

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Worst game I’ve seen him play by a long way

Started with missing handballs twice that lead to saints first goal and went down hill from there - kicked to opposition, kicked to the fans , opposition again, and on it went …until it didn’t - one touch in the last quarter as we coughed up a big lead to seal a miserable day

A true stinker. Expect it to be a one off

Symptom of the whole team really its like the 2023 swans have replaced them the last few weeks

 

[Nuggetz]

When he has time he butchers his disposal & takes a low percentage option but when he's under pressure he hits targets & makes better decisions. Over thinking with ball in hand, I also think we're actively looking for him rather than picking the best option. A bit too Errol centric.

 

[The King!]

When he has time he butchers his disposal & takes a low percentage option but when he's under pressure he hits targets & makes better decisions. Over thinking with ball in hand, I also think we're actively looking for him rather than picking the best option. A bit too Errol centric.

He demands it , and has already got a bit of an aura , almost Buddy like, where they go to him at all costs now.

So confident he will be absolutely ok, just a down game from him is like a shock and hurts so much, as he is our best player.

 

[rustycrate]

Not even the mighty Jack Hiscox could go at 100% effort with 100% TOG. Errol is an impact player, an attacking weapon.

Like Hiscox, Errol is also an endurance machine. That is another reason he is an attacking weapon.

 

[RUNVS]

Like Hiscox, Errol is also an endurance machine. That is another reason he is an attacking weapon.

but when we really needed him on Sunday he had something like 2 disposals in the entire 4th quarter.

 

[rustycrate]

but when we really needed him on Sunday he had something like 2 disposals in the entire 4th quarter.

Why was that?

 

[SM]

but when we really needed him on Sunday he had something like 2 disposals in the entire 4th quarter.

Very uncharacteristic.

 

[Ticky009]

Only 22 - good lord! Sky is the limit - Happy Birthday Errol.

 

[Kiama Chris]

Only 22 - good lord! Sky is the limit - Happy Birthday Errol.

Hard to imagine what he's likely to achieve over his entire career. Check in again in another 12 years.

 

[caesar88]

I will probably get hounded for this but it's just my opinion and what I'm seeing, doesn't mean I'm right.

I feel like I'm seeing the same play from Gulden over and over in games, and I know it's coming before it happens.

Gulden gets a handball receive running along the non-broadcast boundary line, kicks long into the forward 50 with a ball he's almost trying to get to curl inwards, and it ends up going to what my junior coach used to call the '45 squared' zone (45m out, 45 degree angle from goal.)

But I feel like if dumb amateur Caesar drinking a beer on the couch knows it's coming, then it's almost certain the opposition knows it's coming. And it feels like it's becoming a bit stale and predictable that has a domino effect. Players are putting pressure on Gulden when he has the ball, so he's less running along the boundary line and more being hemmed into it. This then effects the kick, that extra bit less time and space to execute means it probably doesn't curve inwards as much so just ends up going to the same spots. This then makes it easy for opposition defenders to read and defend, and they get to the fall of the ball to outnumber and intercept.

It's not that this is a bad play or something I don't want to see Gulden doing. It's a fairly standard play for a wingman, especially with his foot skills. But it's just become SO over-used. If I could be arsed I'd be able to make a mosaic wall of screenshots of Gulden tucked against the far boundary line trying to send a long kick inward and it not really getting to anyone in particular. It happens that much.

He's a great player and the Gulden I love watching almost plays on instinct and what works in the moment. He looks amazing kicking through the corridor and also when he's on the run inside 50 going for goal himself. But this boundary line play feels very set and repetitive and it's getting a bit annoying to watch.

Of course I could just be seeing things. No one else seems to have made mention of this particular play, so maybe I am. Apologies for the long post.

 

[Kiama Chris]

I will probably get hounded for this but it's just my opinion and what I'm seeing, doesn't mean I'm right.

I feel like I'm seeing the same play from Gulden over and over in games, and I know it's coming before it happens.

Gulden gets a handball receive running along the non-broadcast boundary line, kicks long into the forward 50 with a ball he's almost trying to get to curl inwards, and it ends up going to what my junior coach used to call the '45 squared' zone (45m out, 45 degree angle from goal.)

But I feel like if dumb amateur Caesar drinking a beer on the couch knows it's coming, then it's almost certain the opposition knows it's coming. And it feels like it's becoming a bit stale and predictable that has a domino effect. Players are putting pressure on Gulden when he has the ball, so he's less running along the boundary line and more being hemmed into it. This then effects the kick, that extra bit less time and space to execute means it probably doesn't curve inwards as much so just ends up going to the same spots. This then makes it easy for opposition defenders to read and defend, and they get to the fall of the ball to outnumber and intercept.

It's not that this is a bad play or something I don't want to see Gulden doing. It's a fairly standard play for a wingman, especially with his foot skills. But it's just become SO over-used. If I could be arsed I'd be able to make a mosaic wall of screenshots of Gulden tucked against the far boundary line trying to send a long kick inward and it not really getting to anyone in particular. It happens that much.

He's a great player and the Gulden I love watching almost plays on instinct and what works in the moment. He looks amazing kicking through the corridor and also when he's on the run inside 50 going for goal himself. But this boundary line play feels very set and repetitive and it's getting a bit annoying to watch.

Of course I could just be seeing things. No one else seems to have made mention of this particular play, so maybe I am. Apologies for the long post.

Good observation. Opposition coaches watch these things and come up with ways to reduce their effectiveness so you're most likely correct. His tactic works best when he can get past the defender or if he's able to cut back inside.

 

[MF]

I will probably get hounded for this but it's just my opinion and what I'm seeing, doesn't mean I'm right.

I feel like I'm seeing the same play from Gulden over and over in games, and I know it's coming before it happens.

Gulden gets a handball receive running along the non-broadcast boundary line, kicks long into the forward 50 with a ball he's almost trying to get to curl inwards, and it ends up going to what my junior coach used to call the '45 squared' zone (45m out, 45 degree angle from goal.)

But I feel like if dumb amateur Caesar drinking a beer on the couch knows it's coming, then it's almost certain the opposition knows it's coming. And it feels like it's becoming a bit stale and predictable that has a domino effect. Players are putting pressure on Gulden when he has the ball, so he's less running along the boundary line and more being hemmed into it. This then effects the kick, that extra bit less time and space to execute means it probably doesn't curve inwards as much so just ends up going to the same spots. This then makes it easy for opposition defenders to read and defend, and they get to the fall of the ball to outnumber and intercept.

It's not that this is a bad play or something I don't want to see Gulden doing. It's a fairly standard play for a wingman, especially with his foot skills. But it's just become SO over-used. If I could be arsed I'd be able to make a mosaic wall of screenshots of Gulden tucked against the far boundary line trying to send a long kick inward and it not really getting to anyone in particular. It happens that much.

He's a great player and the Gulden I love watching almost plays on instinct and what works in the moment. He looks amazing kicking through the corridor and also when he's on the run inside 50 going for goal himself. But this boundary line play feels very set and repetitive and it's getting a bit annoying to watch.

Of course I could just be seeing things. No one else seems to have made mention of this particular play, so maybe I am. Apologies for the long post.

Yeah there was one yesterday where he had a player inboard for the handball (Corey Warner I think) but instead he just stayed hemmed into the boundary line and kicked it to a 2 on 1 that just went straight to the opposition in the position you described. The handball to Warner would have completely opened up the 50 to wherever we wanted it.

Having said that, he's having an exceptional 2nd half of the year (after a very good first half) and if he's not the best young player in the comp then there's at least stuff all gap between him and Daicos right now.

 

[caesar88]

Yeah there was one yesterday where he had a player inboard for the handball (Corey Warner I think) but instead he just stayed hemmed into the boundary line and kicked it to a 2 on 1 that just went straight to the opposition in the position you described. The handball to Warner would have completely opened up the 50 to wherever we wanted it.

Having said that, he's having an exceptional 2nd half of the year (after a very good first half) and if he's not the best young player in the comp then there's at least stuff all gap between him and Daicos right now.

Yeah part of it is Gulden's decision-making but part of it is also maybe whoever gives the ball to him when he's in that position in the first place? Feels like our players have this instinct to wanna get it to Gulden when we're in those plays, even if it's not always the best option, but it goes back to a point I made yesterday. We have so many good players, there shouldn't be so much of a pecking order as to whose hands we want to get the ball into. We should just take the right option regardless of who it is and trust it will work out.

That's when we're at our most dangerous IMO. If we're just relying on a few same weapons each week, that's what the opposition want as it's what they've planned for.

 

[Kiama Chris]

Yeah there was one yesterday where he had a player inboard for the handball (Corey Warner I think) but instead he just stayed hemmed into the boundary line and kicked it to a 2 on 1 that just went straight to the opposition in the position you described. The handball to Warner would have completely opened up the 50 to wherever we wanted it.

Having said that, he's having an exceptional 2nd half of the year (after a very good first half) and if he's not the best young player in the comp then there's at least stuff all gap between him and Daicos right now.

I hope this and things like it get exposure in the review/debrief. Probably need to train it too. Use each other to create space.

 

[The King!]

Got his 27 touches , played like he was counting them all too, Warner cops it rightly so for being a show pony. I think Gulden also played a selfish game yesterday and was too busy yelling at everyone else while he ****ed up himself.

 

[Jewelsbon]

Got his 27 touches , played like he was counting them all too, Warner cops it rightly so for being a show pony. I think Gulden also played a selfish game yesterday and was too busy yelling at everyone else while he ****ed up himself.

Yeah, if apparently all the re-signings have left money on the table so they can keep the team together and do something special, then they'd really want to pull their collective fingers out of their collective bottoms or the "special" will be flushing the season down the toilet!

 

[Ballarat Bob]

The obsession with him playing 100 t.o.g is not helping. He is becoming predictable and it seems opposition coaches are working him out.
To be fair I think Gulden , Warner and Blakey all need to reset and look for more options in their games , what worked well at the start of the season isn't working now. If all three are down in a game we lose unless Heeney plays a blinder.
Gulden will work it out he is too good to be down for any length of time.

 

[mcs095]

The obsession with him playing 100 t.o.g is not helping. He is becoming predictable and it seems opposition coaches are working him out.
To be fair I think Gulden , Warner and Blakey all need to reset and look for more options in their games , what worked well at the start of the season isn't working now. If all three are down in a game we lose unless Heeney plays a blinder.
Gulden will work it out he is too good to be down for any length of time.

Spot on re: those three. They are barometers for the team - but are key cogs we absolutely need functioning well to be any shout. There are plenty of other players in the team that, as long as we get decent performances out of them, we won't be far away. But when this trio are off - as they've been recently, we really, really struggle.

 

[The King!]

Demands the ball and sulks if he doesn't get it, butchers it, looks for one- twos and easy kick.

Currently plays for Errol Gulden not Sydney

what the **** is going on