Errol Gulden will start a hot favourite on Thursday to become the fifth-youngest winner of the coveted Bob Skilton Medal – and the youngest club champion in 43 years.

If there was betting available, the 21-year-old left-footer would be at odds-on after his astonishing performance in the Brownlow Medal, when he polled 27 votes to finish equal fourth, and his selection as the only Swans player in the 2023 All-Australian side.

If other end-of-season awards are any sort of guide, Gulden’s biggest threat might by Chad Warner, who polled 16 votes in the Brownlow and was the second-ranked Swans player behind Gulden in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award.

Others expected to figure prominently are Nick Blakey, who was the other Swans player in the 44-man All-Australian squad, and co-captain Luke Parker, who was the fourth-ranked Sydney player behind Gulden, Warner and Blakey in the coaches award and the third-ranked Swan in the Brownlow with 10 votes.

Significantly in a vote count which traditionally favours players who play most often in the AFL side, Gulden, Blakey, Ollie Florent, James Rowbottom and Harry Cunningham played in all 24 games this year.

Parker, Jake Lloyd, Isaac Heeney, Tom Papley, Braeden Campbell and Will Hayward played 23 games, Hayden McLean 22, Warner 21, Callum Mills, Robbie Fox and Logan McDonald 20.

The honour of being the youngest Swans club champion since the legendary Roy Cazaly was first recognised winner in 1926 belongs to 1980 winner David Ackerley who, using 30 September as a benchmark date for comparison purposes, was 19 years 308 days.

Ackerley, who played 138 games with the Swans from 1979-1985 before four years and 53 games at North Melbourne, was 18 days younger than the man after whom the club champion award is named.

Skilton was 19 years 326 days old in 1958 when he won the first of nine club championships – an AFL record he shares with nine-time Fitzroy winner Kevin Murray from Hawthorn megachampion Leigh Matthews (8) and four seven-time winners – Essendon’s Dick Reynolds and Bill Hutcheson, Western Bulldogs/North Melbourne ruckman Gary Dempsey and Bulldogs centreman Scott West.

Ron Clegg, the Swans’ 1948, ’49 and ‘51 club champion, was 20 years 318 days old when he won his first, while Billy Williams was 21 years 17 days when he won the first of back-to-back club champion trophies in 1946.

If Gulden does top the 2023 vote, to be held at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel on Thursday, October 5, he would slot in after Williams and ahead of second-time winners Ackerley in 1982 and Clegg in 1949, and first-time winner Luke Parker in 2014 when he was 21 years 340 days.

Gulden, now a 67-game veteran, would be the third least experienced club champion since the Swans’ relocation to Sydney in 1982, behind only 47-game winner Daryn Cresswell in 1994 and 52-game winner Paul Kelly in 1992.

But in a pointer to how much times have changed, Gulden would rank 17^th for experience among Swans club champions all-time.

Bill Faul (1932) and Frank Johnson (1960) won the award in their first seasons to head the list at 17 games from Ron Hills (27 games in 1930), Ackerley (33 games in 1980), Hec McKay (35 games in 1927), Peter Bedford (38 games in 1969), Billy Williams (39 games in 1946), Danny Wheelahan (42 games in 1929), Max Papley (45 games in 1966), Skilton (47 games in 1959), Cresswell (47), Kelly (52) Charles Stanbridge (55 games in 1928), Norm Goss (61 games in 1974) and Rex Ritchie (61 games in 1941).

Cazaly, who under the September 30 formula was aged 33 years 261 days when crowned Swans club champion in 1926, is the oldest on record from Barry Round, who was 31 years 328 when he won for the second time in his Brownlow Medal year of 1981.

Adam Goodes was 31 years 266 in 2011, followed by Wayne Schwass, who was 30 years 307 days in 1999, and Jim Cleary, who was 30 years 80 days when he won his second in 1944. Len Thomas was 30 years 82 days in 1938 and Brett Kirk 30 years 340 days at the time of his second in 2009.

Gulden finished seventh in the 2022 Skilton Medal and was one of four players to finish in the top 10 for the first time with runner-up Warner, third-placed James Rowbottom and sixth-placed Tom McCartin.

The top 10 vote-getters in 2022 were:

662 - Callum Mills
606 – Chad Warner
544 – James Rowbottom
530 – Luke Parker
529 – Isaac Heeney
493 – Tom McCartin
492 – Errol Gulden
489 – Jake Lloyd
462 – Dane Rampe
447 – Ollie Florent

Parker, a three-time Skilton Medallist, will look to extend an extraordinary run of 10 consecutive top 10 finishes. Starting from his third season in 2013, he’s gone 6^th-1^st-7^th-4^th-1^st-2^nd-3^rd-2^nd-1^st-4^th.

Jake Lloyd, a two-time winner, will be chasing his eighth consecutive top 10 finished after going 7^th-3^rd-1^st-7^th-1^st-2^nd-8^th from 2016-22.

Mills has finished 5^th-6^th-5^th-1^st from 2019-22, while Dane Rampe has six top 10 finishes since 2014, going 9^th-6^th-5^th-X-6^th-X-4^th-X-9^th and Isaac Heeney has gone 10^th-4^th-6^th-X-7^th-5^th since 2017.

Other awards to be announced on the night include:

Adam Goodes Trophy (Runner up, best and fairest)
Peter Bedford Trophy (Third, best and fairest)
Rising Star Award
Dennis Carroll Award for Most Improved
Barry Round Best Clubman Award
Paul Kelly Players' Player
VFL Player of the Year
VFL Development Squad - Player of the Year.

And if you can’t make it in person to the Swans ‘night of nights’ you can watch the event through a live stream on sydneyswans.com.au or follow the night on Sydney Swans social media channels.