Nearly 14 years ago the 2010 AFL Draft commenced, and the bright careers of many current AFL veterans and retired heroes were born.
The 2010 draft was intriguing for reasons greater than the prospects themselves however, as the Gold Coast Suns made their initial draft selections before becoming the first expansion club to join the AFL in the 21st century. Inside the top ten picks were six selections for the Suns, as they aimed to bring in a large crop of teenage talent.
As the 2024 AFL Draft approaches, we've reflected on the top 10 picks of the 2010 draft and delve into what their life looks like now, nearly a decade and a half on.
Pick 1 - David Swallow (Gold Coast Suns)
Permitted to play in Gold Coast's VFL side in 2010, Swallow was an early lock to join the Suns' inaugural squad. Widely touted as the number one pick in the draft, Swallow was unsurprisingly taken first in the plethora of Gold Coast selections.
Swallow has now played 240 games for the Suns and still remains an integral part of the expansion club's list. The 31-year-old played 20 games in 2024, regularly as a substitute, as the Suns pushed, but fell short, of a first-ever finals berth. Gold Coast's lack of success means that Swallow too has failed to ever play an AFL final, with his 240 games currently the AFL record for games played without a finals appearance.
Swallow co-captained the club from 2019-21 in the middle of a five-year contract that ended in 2024. He now holds a contract until the end of 2025 as he reaches the twilight years of a loyal career.
Pick 2 - Harley Bennell (Gold Coast Suns)
Bennell is a story of what could have been.
An exciting, zippy small forward/midfield hybrid, Bennell was taken at Pick 2 by the Suns after a near-perfect draft year. However, controversies blighted his career from the outset of his AFL life.
Bennell was dropped after just his second game due to disciplinary reasons, and later dropped again for skipping a compulsory training session. His second year produced a far greater season, playing all 22 games at AFL level.
In May 2015, Bennell was dropped for drinking alcohol after a game; two months later Bennell had photos leaked of him with an illicit substance. A drunken altercation in September left the Suns with no choice but to trade Bennell, sending him to his home state to play for Fremantle.
However, a run of soft tissue injuries held Bennell to just two games across four years at Fremantle, before finishing his AFL career with five games in 2020 at Melbourne.
Most recently, Bennell was playing in the Horsham District Football Netball League for Kaniva Leeor United, following stints in 2023 at Port Melbourne in the VFL and Tiwi Bombers in the NTFL.
Pick 3 - Sam Day (Gold Coast Suns)
Taken as the third consecutive selection by Gold Coast in 2010, Day joined the Suns after a promising SANFL season at Sturt. Another loyal inaugural Sun, Day has played 155 AFL games across his 14-year career at the Suns.
Suffering many injuries throughout his AFL days, including a serious hip concern that ruled him out of the entirety of 2017, Day managed to forge a solid career in the forward line and down back. However, amongst his injury concerns, he had come out of selection favour in the last four seasons, playing just six, four, three and five games since 2021 respectively.
The Suns delisted Day following the 2024 season, but his AFL career has the potential to continue. Brisbane are considering picking Day up as a delisted free agent, in the hopes of providing some added forward depth following Joe Daniher's shock retirement.
Pick 4 - Andrew Gaff (West Coast Eagles)
Gaff is the third one-club player within the first four picks of the 2010 draft, with the 280-game veteran enjoying a fruitful career at the West Coast Eagles.
A two-time All-Australian, Gaff played his best football in two Eagles grand final campaigns in 2015 and 2018, however his infamous hit on Andrew Brayshaw's jaw marred an illustrious career. Copping an eight-week suspension in 2018, Gaff was sidelined for West Coast's premiership.
In August, Gaff announced his retirement from AFL football. He only managed five games in a rebuilding Eagles side in 2024, playing his final two in Rounds 22 and 23.
Pick 5 - Jared Polec (Brisbane Lions)
Tipped to serve a long career, Polec's time in the AFL ultimately was a trying endeavour.
Initially picked up by the Lions, Polec played just 16 games in three seasons before requesting a trade to his home state in South Australia. He landed at Port Adelaide, where he immediately burst onto the scene and finally demonstrated his draft potential. In 2018 he averaged career-best disposal figures of 25.1 per game, alongside four inside 50s.
After another high-performing season in 2019, Polec was offered a lucrative deal to play for North Melbourne, and thus, was traded to Arden Street. However, Polec failed to continue his great form at the Power and was eventually delisted in 2022 with a year to run on his contract.
In September 2023, Polec was officially announced as Hoppers Crossing Warriors coach in the Western Region Football League for 2024 and 2025. Hoppers Crossing won the Division 1 WRFL premiership this year, with Polec named as coach of the year.
Pick 6 - Reece Conca (Richmond Tigers)
Conca firmed himself as a regular selection in his initial years at Tigerland, playing 71 games in his first four seasons. Conca would then suffer severe injuries in 2015, 2016 and 2017, holding him to just 15 AFL games in three seasons and missing out on Richmond's drought-breaking premiership.
A WA-born player, Conca's ties to his home state eventually gave way, with Conca signing at Fremantle in 2019. Conca would feature in purple for 42 games before his contract was not renewed at the end of 2021.
Most recently, Conca has been a runner for the Melbourne Demons. Earlier this season he found himself embroiled in a "quirky" controversial moment where he pretended to call for the football in Melbourne's Round 11 clash with St Kilda.
Conca has also been a part of the Bannockburn Tigers football club since 2023, playing four senior games for the team in the Geelong and District Football League in 2024.
Pick 7 - Josh Caddy (Gold Coast Suns)
Josh Caddy was initially drafted in Gold Coast's large haul, but quickly returned to Victoria to join Geelong in 2013, following 24 games at the Suns. As a Cat, Caddy recorded career-best averages for disposals and tackles, but his most notable years as a footballer began from 2017 onwards.
Traded to Richmond on the last day of the 2016 trade period, Caddy quickly became a consistent member of the Tigers' best 22 in their premiership dynasty. In 2017, Caddy played 22 games, kicking the first Richmond goal in the grand final. With Richmond's drought-breaking result, he became the first player from the first ten picks of the 2010 draft to win a premiership, alongside teammate and Pick 9 Dion Prestia. Caddy would play in a second premiership in 2019 before a season of injury niggles and lack of form had Caddy unable to crack into the 2020 premiership team.
In October this year, Caddy was announced to have signed for country football side St Arnaud Saints in 2025, playing in the North Central Football League. Most recently, he finished the 2024 season with Southern Football League club the Port Melbourne Colts.
Pick 8 - Dyson Heppell (Essendon Bombers)
A loyal stalwart of Essendon, the curtains closed on Heppell's one-club career at the end of the 2024 AFL season. The 32-year-old amassed 253 games in the red sash in a career spanning 13 seasons over 14 years.
Heppell starred from his first season, winning the Rising Star with 44 of a possible 45 votes. In just his fourth year, Heppell averaged what would be career-best figures, with 28.5 disposals and 5.3 clearances per game, earning an All-Australian blazer.
However, Heppell found himself embroiled in Essendon's drug saga that ultimately suspended 34 players for doping in the 2012 season. Thus, Heppell was sidelined in 2016, amongst a host of other senior players. In his return year, Heppell was named captain to fill the role stand-in skipper Brendon Goddard had in the 2016 season.
Life after AFL football doesn't look too different yet for Heppell, aiming to continue playing at a high level for VFL team Port Melbourne. Heppell signed at the Borough for two years, joining former coach James Hird at the standalone club, who recently signed as director of coaching.
Borough signs AFL legend Dyson Heppell on a two-year contract in major coup for the club!
For the full story visit https://t.co/nK3PNeRrf6#Borough2025@DysonHeppell @VFL @AFL pic.twitter.com/U6FL6csf72
— Port Melbourne FC (@PortMelbourneFC) October 15, 2024
Heppell is also committed to running a clothing brand named "Haych the Label", which is inspired by Heppell's young friend Harrison Pennicott, who suffers from the auto-immune disease scleroderma. Following football, Heppell has invested more time into launching clothing collections, with profits going towards scleroderma research and charities.
Pick 9 - Dion Prestia (Gold Coast Suns)
Another Sun turned Tiger of 2010, Prestia played his first six years on the Gold Coast. A vice-captain between 2014 and 2016, Prestia's on-field performances warranted his leadership title, averaging over 25 disposals for four straight years. By the time of his exit in the 2016 trade period, he had the second-most disposals in Gold Coast history.
Similar to fellow 2010 draft counterpart Caddy, Prestia joined the Tigers on the eve of their premiership campaign. Prestia was a consistent part of the 2017 premiership push and even tallied two Norm Smith Medal votes on grand final day.
In 2018, Prestia was plagued with injuries, particularly a hamstring concern that is still a hindering factor in his career today. An uninterrupted 2019 saw Prestia play in 22 games, including the premiership, whilst a serious syndesmosis injury sidelined Prestia up until the 2020 finals series, in which he was able to return and play a part in a third Richmond flag.
Whilst the Tigers' success is well and truly in the rear-view mirror now, Prestia still remains at Richmond as a veteran for an increasingly young side. He recently penned a one-year extension in August, setting his sights on an undisrupted 2025 following a 13-game 2024 campaign.
Pick 10 - Daniel Gorringe (Gold Coast Suns)
Whilst playing the least games of the top ten picks in the 2010 draft class, Daniel Gorringe is still a prominent name in the AFL landscape.
Gorringe played just 22 games across five seasons at the Suns, and added just another four to his tally in two seasons at Carlton. Troubled with injuries across his journey, Gorringe was never able to maximise his talent, as Achilles tears impacted multiple seasons for the ruck-forward.
Post-AFL, Gorringe has become a staple in the contemporary AFL media industry, as well as social media in general. He was a host on the List Cloggers podcast with another former footballer Dylan Buckley up until 2024, whilst he now hosts his own podcast Dan Does Footy. The Dan Does Footy Instagram and TikTok pages currently boast over 400,000 combined followers, whilst Gorringe's personal TikTok records 9.1 million.
