Errol Gulden has kick started his year in style signing a four-year contract extension with the Sydney Swans this week. The 21-year-old appeared in a press conference on Thursday to discuss the exciting news.
On signing a four-year contract extension
“I’m very excited and at the end of the day, pretty happy to get it done. I’m focussed on playing footy now, but I’m absolutely rapt with the result that we got. I’m so stoked for the club, for their faith in me, and hopefully can repay them over the next four years.”
On a 10-year deal
“It's definitely something I tossed up and it was an option I probably could have explored a bit more if I wanted to. But, you know, I'm only 21 and the thought of a 10-year deal, as I mentioned last night on AFL 360, is almost half my life.
“At the end of the day, I think four years was just the right amount for me and keeps me on edge enough to want to keep playing good footy and get myself better every day. It also locks me away for four years and gives me a bit of security.”
On staying with the Sydney Swans
“I've been involved with this club since I was quite a young boy. The faith they've showed in me to this point so far, and then the list we've got and how exciting I believe our future will be.
“We’re still one of the youngest lists in the competition, and one of the younger teams that gets fielded each week. I'm so excited of the direction that we're heading in and the foundations we've built over the past three or four years. I'm really excited at what we can do in the next four to five years.
On the possibility of moving to Victoria
“A lot of things can happen in the future but at the moment, I love where I am. I love playing footy in Sydney.
“I think we're extremely lucky to be out of that Melbourne bubble and we have a massive advantage up here. I'm not one who likes to throw themselves too deep into that footy bubble and all the outside noise. So, I'm very grateful for the position I'm at with this club and it's what I'm focused on.”
On dealing with outside noise
“It’s a little bit daunting. I think it can be lost on people as well that I am just 21…but you’ve got maintain perspective. I've got a lot of really supportive people around me that help me kind of make the right decisions. And at the end of the day, it was a pretty easy one for me.”
On taking inspiration from athletes in different leagues
“Definitely. I think the obvious one is Steven Gerrard. He had big deals from Chelsea and other clubs. But he stayed with Liverpool and won the Champions League in 2005. So, I do draw inspiration. It's probably not quite to the same level as the pressure that Stevie G would have been under. But I do look for inspiration from guys like that.
“And, you know, even Trent Alexander-Arnold. He's from Liverpool, born and raised through the academy.”
On telling John Longmire
“I had a really good chat with him last week over coffee and just spoke about how I was feeling with everything. The deal actually got done last Saturday morning before the game.
“When we were down in Adelaide, I walked on the bus and had a big smile on my face and just nodded my head at him and he knew exactly what I meant. He was pretty rapt too. I think that kind of led to the start of a good day on Saturday.”
On how the 2024 season has started
“You can't really compare two seasons. I think it would be silly to look back and try and repeat what I did last year. It's a new year with new opportunities.
“I feel like I've probably started the season better this year than I did last year. But I think the thing I've got to work through is dealing with my own expectations and not putting too much pressure on myself and just going out there and doing what the team needs to.
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