AIS/AFL Academy players  stole the show at the 2010 AFL Draft last night on the Gold Coast, with the top four picks all graduates of the joint program.

As expected, David Swallow was chosen as the number one draft pick by AFL’s newest team, the Gold Coast Suns, while fellow AIS/AFL graduates Harley Bennell and Sam Day were also recruited by the Gold Coast as picks two and three.

Another AIS/AFL graduate, Andrew Gaff, was taken as pick number four, with the Victorian youngster set to play his first season for the West Coast Eagles.

The Gold Coast Suns, however, continued to show their fancy towards the AIS/AFL Academy as they chose Daniel Gorringe and Tom Lynch with pick numbers 10 and 11.

Five further AIS/AFL Academy products were picked up in the first round of the draft, with Lucas Cook (Melbourne Demons), Brodie Smith (Adelaide Crows), Shaun Atley (North Melbourne), Jack Darling (West Coast) and Kieran Harper (North Melbourne) all set to ply their trade in the AFL in 2011.

The AIS Australian Football program was established in 1997 to provide high quality training and education to footballers at the elite junior level. The program aims at preparing scholarship holders for drafting to senior AFL clubs.

Previous players to have graduated from the AIS/AFL Academy include Chris Judd (Carlton), Cameron Ling (Geelong), Daniel Kerr (West Coast), Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn), Adam Cooney (Western Bulldogs), Bryce Gibbs (Carlton), Nick Naitanui (West Coast) and Luke Ball (Collingwood).

2010 AFL Draft – First Round Selections

1. Gold Coast: David Swallow
2. Gold Coast: Harley Bennell
3. Gold Coast: Sam Day
4. West Coast: Andrew Gaff
5. Brisbane Lions: Jared Polec
6. Richmond: Reece Conca
7. Gold Coast: Josh Caddy
8. Essendon: Dyson Heppell
9. Gold Coast: Dion Prestia
10. Gold Coast: Daniel Gorringe
11. Gold Coast: Tom Lynch
12. Melbourne Demons: Lucas Cook
13. Gold Coast: Seb Tape
14. Adelaide Crows: Brodie Smith
15. Geelong: Billie Smedts
16. Port Adelaide: Ben Jacobs
17. North Melbourne: Shaun Atley
18. Carlton: Matthew Watson
19. Hawthorn: Isaac Smith
20. Fremantle: Jayden Pitt
21. Sydney Swans: Jed Lamb
22. Western Bulldogs: Mitch Wallis
23. Geelong: Cameron Guthrie
24: St Kilda: Jamie Cripps
25. Brisbane Lions: Patrick Karnezis
26. West Coast: Jack Darling
27. North Melbourne: Kieran Harper

Note: Highlighted players were all members of the AIS/AFL Academy program.