Gulden puts hand up to lead Swans after Mills ACL blow
Errol Gulden says he is ready to captain Sydney if the Swans ask him to step in for injured skipper Callum Mills.
The 24-year-old told AAP he would love the job if offered and feels ready for it, ABC News reported.
Sydney beat Brisbane by 53 points in the qualifying final to earn a home preliminary final. The win came at a cost. Mills hurt his right knee late in the first quarter. Scans confirmed a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the central ligament that holds the knee stable and usually requires surgery and months of rehab.
Mills will miss the rest of Sydney's finals campaign and possibly all of the 2027 season.
Gulden did his talking on the field first. He kicked one goal with 34 disposals, kicks plus handballs, and eight clearances, clean wins out of stoppages around the ball. Sydney's match report credited him with a game-high 915 metres gained and four tackles Sydney Swans.
He said the win gave him the most pride he has felt in six seasons at the club. Gulden is a two-time All-Australian, picked in the league's best 22 in separate seasons, and played in Sydney's losing grand finals in 2022 and 2024.
Coach Dean Cox has other leaders to call on. Former captain Dane Rampe, Jake Lloyd, James Rowbottom and Tom Papley are all available as options. Rampe and Gulden have emerged as the leading contenders to serve as acting captain while Mills is out, AFL.com.au reported. Mills is listed as Sydney's sole captain.
The call is complicated by suspensions. Vice-captain Isaac Heeney is among five players serving club-imposed bans after a post-match incident at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne. Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice will not play again this season.
Sydney will host minor premiers Fremantle at the SCG on Friday in its next final. Minor premiers means Fremantle finished first after the home-and-away season. The SCG, the Sydney Cricket Ground in inner Sydney, is the Swans' home ground.
The winner goes straight to the Grand Final, the season decider played in front of about 100,000 fans in Melbourne. The loser is out.
What makes this stand out is the timing. Sydney is one win from a Grand Final without its captain and vice-captain. Gulden finds space at speed and uses the ball well. Now he wants to lead the group there.
