As the Sydney Swans prepare to take selection five into November’s AFL Draft, Swans Media runs an eye over the club’s raft of past top-10 picks.

The Swans have secured 21 players inside the top 10 since the draft was founded in 1986, with John Brinkotter the historic first and 2018 recruit Nick Blakey the most recent.

The 1980s saw Sydney lock in top-10 draftees Brinkotter, Michael Parsons, Dion Scott and Brad Tunbridge.

The 1990s delivered Andrew McGovern, Paul Burton, Jason Spinks, Darren Gaspar, Glenn Gorman, Adam Heuskes, Anthony Rocca, Shannon Grant, Jared Crouch, Mark Kinnear, Nic Fosdike, Ryan Fitzgerald and Jude Bolton.

And while sustained success would then slow the stream of top-10 picks, the 21st century has produced Jarrad McVeigh, Gary Rohan, Callum Mills and Blakey.

Swans Media revisits below the careers of five of the club’s most successful top-10 draftees.

Jared Crouch

Sydney recruited Crouch from SANFL club Norwood via pick eight at the 1995 AFL Draft and he became one of the most reliable footballers in Swans history. The stocky defender made his senior debut in Round 7, 1998 and didn’t miss a game until Round 13, 2006, a run of 194 consecutive matches which still stands as a league record. Crouch retired at the end of season 2009 with 223 AFL games and a 2005 premiership medal beside his name, while he is a Swans Life Member and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2012.

Nic Fosdike

Another Norwood product pulled on the red and white when the Swans snapped up Fosdike via pick three at the 1998 AFL Draft. The midfielder made his senior debut in Round 5, 1999 and retired ahead of season 2009 as a 164-gamer and 2005 premiership player. While star on-ballers like Adam Goodes, Bolton, Brett Kirk and Paul Williams drew higher external praise, Fosdike’s value to Paul Roos’ midfield contingent was unquestioned inside the club. He is also a Swans Life Member.

Jude Bolton

Bolton was secured by the Swans with pick eight at the 1998 AFL Draft and enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers in club history. The gutsy midfielder from the Calder Cannons, the same club which produced exciting small forward Ben Ronke, debuted in Round 12, 1999. He was a member of Sydney’s 2005 and 2012 premiership teams and retired at the end of season 2013 having played 325 AFL matches, seeing him equal with McVeigh as the second-most-capped Swans in history behind 372-gamer Goodes. Bolton is a Swans Life Member and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2017.

Past top-10 draftees Jarrad McVeigh (left) and Jude Bolton (right) celebrating the 2012 premiership triumph.

Jarrad McVeigh

The Swans snared one of the most promising youngsters of the 2002 draft pool when they selected McVeigh with pick five. The boy from the Central Coast arrived as an outstanding endurance runner and exceptional ball-user, with Roos then educating him on the defensive side of the game. McVeigh initially had concerns defensive play may stifle his attacking prowess, but in hindsight he realises it was crucial to him becoming one of the league’s premier midfielders. He retired at the completion of season 2019 with 325 AFL games, All Australian selection and two Club Champion awards on his resume. He also co-captained Sydney to the 2012 premiership, made a club-high 28 finals appearances, is a Swans Life Member and was named in the greatest NSW team of all time.

Callum Mills

He’s just 22 and has played only 77 AFL games, but Mills is quickly establishing a very successful career. The QBE Sydney Swans Academy product landed at the Swans via pick three at the 2015 AFL Draft. He then won the AFL Rising Star award in 2016, becoming just the third player in Swans history behind Goodes and Dan Hannebery to have claimed the honour. Mills is a defender who could soon switch to the midfield, and he’s a member of Sydney’s leadership group.