Champion Data expert names the Swan each opposition team must tag this September

Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne has put forward the number one player any opposition side should look to tag in a contest against the Swans.

Within the Swans’ explosive six-goal final term en route to their exhilarating come-from-behind win over the Giants, star midfielder Errol Gulden broke a tag that ruled him ineffective in the first three quarters to deliver an all-time performance to seal the win.

11 disposals and five score involvements in the fourth term from the two-time All-Australian led the Swans to glory from 21-points down, proving that Gulden may be a ‘must tag’ for the remainder of September.

“I think what has happened with the Swans over the last couple of weeks and what (Isaac) Heeney did and all these guys did was superb,” Hoyne told SEN’s Sportsday.

“To me, it’s highlighted that Errol Gulden should be and has to be the number one target as an opposition team against the Swans for the next two matches.

“What (Steele) Sidebottom did against Gulden against Collingwood four or five weeks ago was phenomenal, and then largely what (James) Peatling did against Gulden for the first three quarters, kept him to 12 disposals, one score involvement.

“Take out the subs, he was one of the lowest rated players on the ground.

“Then Peatling really goes hardly anywhere near him in the last quarter, gets lost in a couple of changes of magnets, that tag gets moved, Gulden has 11 disposals in the last quarter, involved in five scores and is the second highest rated player on the ground behind Warner.”

With so many threats across the entire ground, particularly within the centre of the park, managing all the talented individual Swans could be deemed an impossible task.

Midfielder Chad Warner also dominated the final quarter, amassing 13 disposals and seven clearances in the term alone to drive the Swans back into the contest, while Tom Papley proved unstoppable in the contest for his four direct goal assists and Isaac Heeney played out one of the all-time finals performances.

With all this being said, given the game's direction in the first three terms and the turn of events after the Errol tag was dropped, Gulden may be nailed on for further attention in their Preliminary Final clash with Port Adelaide.

“I know we sit here, and we talk about (Chad) Warner, we talk about Heeney, to me I’m looking at this if I’m Hawthorn or Port Adelaide next week and this is the player that I’m putting my energy into, come a Prelim final.”

All eyes will be on Gulden and Sydney's midfield core, with Willem Drew bound to play an important role on the star Swan in next week's contest.