Full match coverage and stats<\/a><\/p>\nGulden suffered a broken ankle at the same stage of last year\u2019s pre-season that delayed his start to the campaign while the Swans lost touch with the top eight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old proved his worth as the side won seven of 10 matches after his return at the back end of last year, and again showed his value when slicing up the Giants and booting the opening goal before sitting out the majority of the game. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Errol Gulden celebrates a goal during Sydney’s win over GWS in the AAMI Community Series on February 26, 2026. Picture: Phil Hillyard<\/p>\n
Sheldrick tightened his grip on a spot in the Sydney midfield for the Opening Round clash with Carlton as the 22-year-old gathered a game-high 30 disposals in conditions ideally suited to his robust style.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Midfield dynamos\u00a0Chad Warner\u00a0and\u00a0Justin McInerney\u00a0found touch after missing Sydney\u2019s match simulation win over the Western Bulldogs last week. Warner added his usual spark with 19 disposals, while McInerney (23, one goal) spent much of his time patrolling a wing with occasional bursts through the engine room.<\/p>\n
Jai Serong\u00a0spent time on the opposite wing as the Swans recruit pressed his claims for an Opening Round club debut, though zippy forward\u00a0Malcolm Rosas jnr\u00a0was quieter after a better showing against the Dogs.<\/p>\n
Swans firebrand\u00a0Tom Papley\u00a0was also unable to make the most of the slippery conditions on his return from an ankle issue as he went goalless but had 12 disposals in minimal game time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlie Curnow\u00a0gave an early glimpse of what the Swans can expect to see this season as he took a strong mark near the wing then wheeled around on to his right boot to nail a 70m bomb. The two-time Coleman medallist had less impact once the heavens opened up and finished with two goals from only six disposals.<\/p>\n
The injury-hit Giants were missing 11 of the players that lined up in their elimination final defeat to the Hawks last year but were bolstered by the addition of prized recruit\u00a0Clayton Oliver.<\/p>\n
The three-time All-Australian started slowly but went on to relish the wet and wild conditions as he finished with 19 disposals and booted a consolation goal against the run of play before being rested.<\/p>\n
Oliver shook off a jarred finger from a smother to play out the game, while\u00a0Jesse Hogan\u00a0put Giants hearts in mouths with an early rolled ankle before finishing with two goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Captain\u00a0Toby Greene\u00a0(26 disposals) started in the middle and looks set to spend more time around the ball this year as the Giants search for ways to cover the loss of Tom Green and Josh Kelly.<\/p>\n
Harry Rowston staked his own claim for more midfield minutes this year with 19 disposals, and Jayden Laverde did his chances of an Opening Round club debut no harm in defence.<\/p>\n
Nick Madden battled hard against Brodie Grundy in the ruck but will come under MRO scrutiny for a high bump on Chad Warner, who recovered to play out the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New faces
Sydney was fortunate to field a near full-strength team with\u00a0Caiden Cleary one of few less experienced players to be given an opportunity to press their claims. The Swans Academy graduate found the goals during minimal game time but is likely competing with fresh recruit Malcolm Rosas jnr\u00a0for a spot in the forward line.\u00a0Phoenix Gothard\u00a0impressed with 15 disposals for the Giants as he presses for a debut, while\u00a0Josaia Delana\u00a0took\u00a0steps toward adding to his three matches and\u00a0Max Gruzewski\u00a0booted two goals. The Giants handed opportunities to\u00a0Oliver Hannaford,\u00a0Harrison Oliver,\u00a0Jack Ough\u00a0and\u00a0Oskar Taylor in their late changes but an extended bench meant the focus was as much on exposure to the top level as trialling for a spot in the Opening Round team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Opening Round chance
Sydney recruits\u00a0Charlie Curnow,\u00a0Malcolm Rosas jnr\u00a0and\u00a0Jai Serong\u00a0each firmed for club debuts in the season opener against Carlton while playing solid minutes against Greater Western Sydney even in testing conditions and with an extended bench.\u00a0Logan McDonald\u00a0is on track to play his first match since the 2024 Grand Final with the Swans\u2019 former No.4 pick locked into a forward role after a brief stint in the back half early in the pre-season.\u00a0Caiden Cleary booted a nice goal but seems further back in the queue, while\u00a0Peter Ladhams\u00a0and\u00a0Joel Hamling\u00a0are among the tall timber likely to be squeezed out.\u00a0Clayton Oliver\u00a0and\u00a0Jayden Laverde\u00a0were both important for the Giants, while\u00a0Harry Rowston\u00a0looks set for a more prominent role in the midfield in the absence of a host of first-choice onballers.\u00a0Nick Madden\u00a0had a tough day out but could hold his place in the Giants side especially if Kieren Briggs fails to recover from a shin knock in time to face the Hawks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clayton Oliver and Isaac Heeney in action during GWS’ clash with Sydney in the 2026 AAMI Community Series. Picture: AFL Photos<\/p>\n
Medical room
Greater Western Sydney will be relieved to have got through their Community Series clash with Sydney unscathed after a horror run with injury over the pre-season. Dynamic forward\u00a0Brent Daniels\u00a0and young midfielder\u00a0Cody Angove\u00a0missed the clash between the cross-town rivals after both left the field early in match simulation against Collingwood last week. The Giants swung further changes during the lead-in when electing not to risk\u00a0Kieren Briggs,\u00a0Callum Brown,\u00a0Aaron Cadman\u00a0and\u00a0Joe Fonti\u00a0against the Swans. GWS is still to work out how it will make do without clearance king\u00a0Tom Green\u00a0(knee) for the rest of the season, while\u00a0Josh Kelly\u00a0(hip) and\u00a0Darcy Jones\u00a0(knee) are sidelined indefinitely. Livewire\u00a0Toby Bedford\u00a0and gun defender Sam Taylor will both miss the early rounds of 2026 due to hamstring injuries, but the Giants remain hopeful that eye-catching midfielder\u00a0Finn Callaghan\u00a0can overcome a hip flexor issue in time to face the Hawks on 7 March. Sydney, on the other hand, continues to have a near clean bill of health with the club confident\u00a0Errol Gulden\u00a0has avoided serious injury and\u00a0versatile veterans\u00a0Jake Lloyd,\u00a0Harry Cunningham\u00a0and\u00a0Taylor Adams\u00a0its most significant concerns.<\/p>\n
Fantasy watch
The Giants have a depleted midfield and Toby Greene (FWD, $850,000) wound the clock back to run through the middle. The skipper top scored for his team with 97\u00a0Fantasy points from less than 70 per cent time on ground. Mid-priced midfielder\u00a0Harry Rowston (MID, $544,000)will continue to see his ownership rise. A strong Opening Round showing will make him a popular starting option for round one. For the Swans,\u00a0Angus Sheldrick (MID, $651,000)\u00a0has demonstrated his Fantasy chops on many occasions. His 30 disposals and five tackles helped him score the game’s only ton with 111 points. Errol Gulden (MID, $1,073,000)\u00a0played only the first quarter, withdrawn as a precaution after rolling his ankle.\u00a0Briggs as a late out wasn’t ideal as we assess the rucks, but we took enough\u00a0out of\u00a0Brodie Grundy (RUC, $1,122,000)\u00a0putting together 89 points from just 58 per cent time on ground while hitting key stat lines. Is he the first ruck taken on Draft day?\u00a0– Warnie from The Traders<\/p>\n
SYDNEY\u00a0 \u00a05.3\u00a0 \u00a07.5.\u00a0 10.10.\u00a0 14.13 (97)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY\u00a0 \u00a01.2\u00a0 \u00a05.5\u00a0 \u00a06.7\u00a0 \u00a08.11 (59)<\/p>\n
GOALS
Sydney:\u00a0Curnow 2, Amartey 2, McDonald 2, Heeney, Jordon, Sheldrick, Grundy, Cleary, Gulden, McInerney, Ladhams
Greater Western Sydney:\u00a0Stringer 3, Hogan 2, Gruzewski 2, Oliver<\/p>\n
BEST\u00a0
Sydney:\u00a0Blakey, Heeney, Sheldrick, Mills, Grundy, McInerney, Wicks
Greater Western Sydney:\u00a0Greene, Oliver, Ash, Idun, Stringer, Rowston<\/p>\n
INJURIES\u00a0
Sydney:\u00a0Gulden (ankle)
Greater Western Sydney:\u00a0Nil<\/p>\n
REPORTS
Sydney: Rosas jnr (abusive language)
Greater Western Sydney:\u00a0Nil<\/p>\n
Crowd:\u00a0TBC at Henson Park<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Charlie Curnow (centre) celebrates a goal with teammates during Sydney’s AAMI Community Series clash with GWS on February…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,85,83],"class_list":["post-505226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-text"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}