Adelaide’s SA/WA Recruiting Manager Phil Bunn has joined the AIS-AFL Academy on its two-week tour of Europe.

Bunn, who joined the Club from Port Adelaide late-last year, will keep a diary of the trip, bringing you up to date with the team’s performances and travel adventures, and providing an insight to this year’s hottest draft prospects.

Here’s the first instalment …

Day One, Melbourne - Italy

The tour began on Saturday (March, 30) with the long haul from Melbourne to Varese, Italy, with stopovers in Sydney and Abu Dhabi. The touring party included the AIS-AFL Academy players, and coaching and support staff including head coach Michael O'Loughlin and South Australian Under-18 coach Brenton Phillips. Family members of many of the players also made the trip, as did Hawthorn legend Robert DiPierdomenico, who is one of the tour leaders.

A number of the full-time recruiting and list management staff of AFL clubs are also part of the traveling party, with all but one club represented. The tour provides a great opportunity for recruiting staff to gain an insight into the players’ personalities, character, training habits, professionalism and how they interact with teammates, coaching staff and recruiters.

It's a great opportunity for us to observe the boys in a more natural, relaxed environment compared to the formality of an interview at the Draft Combine or in their homes. I'm sure all clubs will come away from the trip with a greater insight into the players, which can only be a positive given the importance that draft selections play in the future of your club.

After landing in Malpensa, near Milan, the group boarded buses for the last leg of the journey to the AIS High Performance training centre in Gavirate on the banks of Lake Varese. It was just after 9.00am on Easter Sunday when we pulled into the AIS complex, and 36 hours of travel had certainly taken the edge off everyone. The players took a leisurely walk to get their bodies moving again while the rest of the group checked into our hotel next door.

After lunch the boys had a weights session in the AIS gym before listening to a guest speaker Bryan Staring – an Aussie living nearby in Italy – who has just gained a spot in the Moto GP series for 2013. He continues the Aussie representation at the elite level following in the footsteps of recently retired World Champ Casey Stoner. Other athletes currently training at the AIS include the Men's Wheelchair Basketball team, and a group of fighters preparing for a Boxing tournament in Europe. Many of the European-based Aussie cyclists also use the facility regularly for training and rehab.

The day finished for the boys with dinner in the AIS dining room, while the parents and recruiting staff enjoyed a meal at a restaurant nearby, before finally getting a good night’s sleep.

Day Two, Gavirate, Italy

The boys had their first training session at a local soccer ground. Conditions were fine, but there was a chill in the air that had all the AFL scouts and parents on the sidelines wrapped in their warmest jackets, scarves and beanies. The players were excited to finally get out on the park and have a solid training session under the watchful eye of Mick O'Loughlin and his support team.

Although training was full of enthusiasm, the boys appeared a little jet lagged, which was not unexpected given they had travelled across the world in the previous 48 hours. Most players completed the session, with the injured group doing modified training and rehab work on the sidelines. Highly-rated SA player James Aish completed all the skills work, but stood out of any competitive work as he recovers from recent shoulder surgery. Victorians Nick Bourke (shoulder), Billy Hartung (finger) and Dallas Willsmore (knee), as well as Hawthorn’s New Zealand International Rookie Kurt Heatherley all completed rehabilitation programs.

After training, I had a chat to Michael O'Loughlin to get his thoughts on the team’s 43-point loss to Collingwood’s VFL side at the MCG the Thursday prior to departing for Europe. It's fair to say he was disappointed with his team’s overall performance, but after a lacklustre first half and a stern word from the coach at the long break, Mick was pleased the way the team responded with a more competitive effort after half time.

The AFL scouts were certainly out in force at the MCG game, with all clubs having a team of recruiters in the stands to assess the elite talent on show. The AIS-AFL squad is sure to provide a number of early picks in the 2013 National Draft later this year, and the clubs were keen to see how the players performed against the bigger bodies of the VFL players.

The players and coaching staff spent the second afternoon in Europe doing individual reviews of their game against Collingwood. Clubs also took the opportunity to interview some of the players when they had free time. Another group of parents and staff took a day trip to Lake Como to enjoy the hospitality and sightseeing at one of Italy's most popular holiday resorts. An evening meal at a local restaurant brought the day to an end.

The 2013 AIS-Academy squad:

South Australia – Alex Spina (North Adelaide/Gaza), Dwayne Wilson (Sturt/Imperials), James Aish (Norwood/Payneham NU), Luke Dunstan (Woodville West Torrens/South Clare), Trent Dumont (Norwood/Golden Grove), Matthew Scharenberg (Glenelg/PHOS Camden), Luke Reynolds (Port Adelaide/North Haven), Darcy Hourigan (South Adelaide/ Strathalbyn)

NSW/ACT – Lloyd Perris (St George)

Queensland – Cain Tickner (Noosa)

Vic Country – Lewis Taylor (Geelong Falcons/Terang-Mortlake), Billy Hartung (Dandenong Stingrays/Mornington), James Tsitas (Geelong Falcons/Grovedale), Matt Crouch (North Ballarat Rebels/Beaufort), Isaiah Miller (Bendigo Pioneers/ Sandhurst), Nicholas Bourke (Geelong Falcons/Kolora-Noorat), Dallas Willsmore (North Ballarat Rebels/Walpeup Underbool), Darcy Gardiner (Geelong Falcons/Queenscliff)

Vic Metro – Christian Salem (Sandringham Dragons/Brighton GS), Joshua Kelly (Sandringham Dragons/Brighton GS), Jack Billings (Oakleigh Chargers/Scotch College), Luke McDonald (Oakleigh Chargers/Trinity Grammar), Ben Lennon (Northern Knights/Ivanhoe Grammar), Cameron Conlon (Northern Knights/St Mary’s FC), Thomas Boyd (Eastern Ranges/Norwood), Marcus Bontempelli (Northern Knights/Marcellin)

Western Australia – Dylan Loo (Perth/Victoria Park JFC), Dominic Sheed (Subiaco/Mines Rovers), Nick Robertson (West Perth/Joondalup Kinross JFC)

Northern Territory – Errin Wasley-Black (Rovers)