Highly promising AFL prospects Jimmy Toumpas and Brodie Grundy have spent a week at Port Adelaide, experiencing life in the elite competition.

The teenagers were attached to the Power as part of their involvement in the AIS-AFL squad, whose members were attached to AFL clubs across the competition as part of their progress through the national talent pathway.

Toumpas - a member of the Woodville-West Torrens 2011 premiership team - and Grundy - a 202cm ruck prospect from Sturt - were embedded with the playing group at Alberton, taking part in training, team meetings and gym sessions.

“It’s been a really good eye-opener, just physically and all the preparation, how the boys go about it, what they do outside of footy,” 17-year-old Grundy said of the experience alongside AFL-listed players.

“It’s been a step up. I’ve been doing Sturt pre-season and played a few league games last year so I was a used to the bigger bodies, but the intensity is a massive step up and just the decision-making and they’re always one step closer to you than you think.”

The duo were named in the AIS-AFL squad following outstanding performances for South Australia in the 2011 National Under-18 Championship, with Grundy named in the All-Australian line-up.

This week’s experience continues an even more remarkable run for Toumpas who played five SANFL league games 2011, including three finals.

Despite experiencing a high level of training intensity during the Eagles’ successful finals campaign, the 18-year-old midfielder learnt a lot during the week with Port Adelaide, culminating on Friday with the squad’s first round of pre-season match practice.

“Definitely the step up to AFL standard is pretty amazing,” Toumpas said.

“You see a Travis Boak and others working as hard as they can and you realise how hard you have to work to make it to this level.

“You just see the boys’ work on the track and the care factor they take with the footy and how much effort they put into the things. It’s just a massive work rate attitude factor that I need to improve on a lot.”

It’s been a big week for the pair, with Grundy - who completed his secondary education at Cabra Collegein 2011 - and Toumpas (St Michael’s College) both learning they had been accepted to study Human Movement at the University of SA in 2012. But they’ll be juggling their university commitments with their sport.

The duo are among 30 members of the AIS-AFL level two squad, which will play Hawthorn’s reserve side, Box Hill, in Melbourne in late March before touring Europe for two weeks.

Both are eligible for the 2012 AFL National Draft and are considered high quality candidates in what is expected to be an exceptional pool.

Noted for his size and competiveness in ruck, Grundy is in his second year in the AIS-AFL squad but is realistic about the work still ahead at Sturt and State level if he is to forge an AFL career.

“I’ve just set some short-term goals to check off my long-term goals and as long as I worry about doing what I have to do to get there and play good footy for my team, that’s all I can do,” Grundy said.

Toumpas - an impressive midfielder with a great kick and decision-making skills - also has clear goals for 2012, as he strives to consolidate his place in the Eagles’ league team.

“I’ve set a first goal of just trying to get a round one league game which I’d really like given the opportunity,” Toumpas said.

“Then just playing consistent footy and probably setting some more goals in State footy and hopefully playing every game. Just consistent footy is my main thing.”

The pair have no way of knowing if - let alone where - they will be drafted, but the AIS-AFL program has proven to be an exceptional entry to the elite level over the 14 years it has been in operation.

AIS-AFL graduates on Port Adelaide’s 2012 playing list are Travis Boak, Matthew Broadbent,

John Butcher, Troy Chaplin, Brad Ebert, Hamish Hartlett, Ben Newton, Brent Renouf, Steven Salopek, Jay Schulz, Nick Slater, Jackson Trengove, Chad Wingard and Aaron Young.