A LITTLE bit has changed since Errol Gulden first entered the AFL.

"I have to shave my face more than once a month now, which is a bit different," he said on Friday.

But outside of this year's injury mishap, the impact on the field hasn't altered much from game one in 2021 to what will be his 100th appearance on Saturday against Essendon at the SCG.

Three goals and 19 possessions on debut away to Brisbane signalled to the Swans and the footy world that they had found something pretty special, all the way down at pick No.32 in the 2020 draft.

While he may have been a Swans Academy product, how a bid didn't come earlier for him is mindboggling even with the benefit of hindsight.

Since then, the 23-year-old has cultivated one of the more impressive AFL resumes after just five seasons – two All-Australian blazers, a club champion award, two top seven Brownlow Medal finishes and three Brett Kirk medals.

And while two trips to the Grand Final have yet to net the premiership glory he craves above all else, Gulden is shaping up to be an undisputed all-time great of the Swans.

As milestones tend to do, it's afforded him the chance to reflect this week.

"Last night I saw a video the club put on Instagram and it was a collage of my time at the club and it hit me a little bit then when you look back and see me talking after my first game and I had my Invisalign in my teeth. I've grown up a little bit since then," he said.

"It's only been five years, but it struck me last night how special my first five years has been and hopefully I can create a lot more memories in the years to come.

"It's a massive achievement (100 games) and one I'm extremely proud of. There's no other club I'd rather make memories at."

By Gulden's own admission, the end to the Swans' finals hopes have dented the euphoria around his big day but that will be alleviated somewhat by the presence of one of the more special people in his life.

His 90-year-old grandfather will make the trip from Bendigo to the SCG on Saturday to watch him play in the flesh for the very first time.

"I can't wait. When my mum told me I couldn't believe it. He hasn't been up to Sydney in 10 years, and he wouldn't have been on a plane since 2000 or something like that. For him to make the effort, it's so special.

"Until he's actually here and I see him I probably won't believe it."

A Gulden goal against the Bombers would help top off that moment and with the 'Oh Errol' tune that comes with any major from the Swans' No.21 at the SCG, it would provide grandad with the full experience.

"If I ever get sick of that, I need to remind myself to have a bit more gratitude because it is pretty special. To hear it against Freo and North (last two home games) was pretty cool after a grim year personally," he said.

"My family loves it, my mates get around it. Id love to get up there one day and sing it with Aussie Crawl."

It's the Errol work ethic that his teammates highlight first and foremost when it comes to pointing out how he's become one of the AFL's very best so early in his career.

His coach knows first and foremost about what it takes to be one of the elite midfielders in the competition, having played alongside Chris Judd, Daniel Kerr and Ben Cousins at West Coast.

"It's his appetite to always want to improve. On the field and off the field, he does whatever he can to be the best footballer," Cox said.

"His preparation for a young footballer is as good as I've seen. He works as hard as the best players do and that's why he's had so many of those achievements.

"They're all different, one thing I never try and do is compare eras and players. They all have those traits and Errol's no different to some of the best I played with and seen."

Gulden’s 100th game will be punctuated by a debut appearance for Jesse Dattoli – the Swans' first round selection from last year's draft who has kicked back-to-back three goal hauls in the VFL.

He has a goal celebration ready to go with Errol to mark the occasion and his call-up is a sign that the Swans are ready to experiment a touch over the final month with finals out of the picture.

"Coxy's spoken about testing and trialling a few different things. We spoke as a group and said we can either sit around and sulk or we can use this four week block as an opportunity to launch pad into the off-season, into our pre-season and ultimately to get back to where we want to be next year as well," Gulden said.