McDonald endured surgeries on his ankle and the fibula bone in his leg, but has returned to full training for Sydney’s pre-season, and Gulden believes the forward can rediscover the sort of form that produced 37 goals in the 2024 season.
Errol Gulden will be hoping for better luck in 2026 after last season was interrupted by an ankle injury.Credit: Getty Images
“He’s been flying,” Gulden said of McDonald. “I think there hasn’t been much spoken about him, but I’m pretty happy to keep it that way because I think he’ll be a bit of a secret weapon for us this year.
“People will kind of forget with him not playing any footy last year how much of a weapon he is for us. And obviously having Charlie here is going to help him out, too. He’ll learn from him. But he’s looking really good on the track.”
Callum Mills continues to recover from a minor hamstring strain, with Gulden describing his captain as “one of the most amazing leaders you could ever think of”. Asked whether captaining the Swans is a goal, Gulden revealed it was something he’s working towards while learning under Mills and other senior players.
Loading
“Yeah, definitely, it’s something I’m working on consciously, and I look up to Millsy, I look up to Ramps [Dane Rampe] and boys like this around the club,” Gulden said.
“They’re great examples for me of what I want to strive to be like when I’m a little bit older, so it’s a challenging thing being a leader, it’s extremely hard.
“You’ve got to always be setting the right example and know the right time to say the right things. So it’s something I’m definitely working on, and I’ve got a lot of scope to improve.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
