After starting the year with just six senior games to his name, Cunningham gave the club’s coaching staff no option but to play him, with the young Swans showing potential in a number of different roles.
Cunningham proved himself as a potent attacking option in round 17 this season, when he booted a career-high four goals against the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium, while also returning home from Adelaide Oval with three-goal bags on two separate occasions.
He also showed his ability to take on lock-down roles, including a stand-out performance against Kangaroos small forward Brent Harvey in the preliminary final at ANZ Stadium.
Cunningham, who took out the club’s Rising Star award at this month’s Club Champion, told SwansTV he’d learnt a lot playing a full senior season at the Swans.
It’s a pretty tough time at the club after losing the Grand Final. How are you feeling after the loss and what are your reflections on the game?
It’s just gut-wrenching to make it all that way and then put in a performance like that. It’s obviously disappointing and we hold ourselves accountable for it. We need to get better and we will get better.
As a young player playing in your first Grand Final, what did you learn from that experience?
It was an amazing week in terms of the build-up and everything leading into the Grand Final. That’s what you play for – to play footy on that last Saturday in September. The result definitely dampened the experience with how it ended, but we’ve just got to get better from now on.
Looking at the season as a whole, you probably can’t be disappointed with how you personally performed, especially after having just six games to your name before this season?
It was obviously very pleasing on a personal note to play every week. It came off a big pre-season, so nothing can change this year, so I’ll be having a big off-season and pre-season to make sure I take that next step as an individual so I can help the team take that next step.
You also got a little bit of individual recognition with an AFL Rising Star nomination. That must have been something you were pretty proud of?
Yeah, definitely. When you look back on it, when I reflect on the season a bit, I’ll obviously feel very humbled and proud to get that sort of award. But obviously you play footy for team success, and unfortunately that didn’t happen.
You played a lot of different roles this year, including some tagging roles and some roles up forward, what do you think was your toughest task this year?
I’m not sure; I suppose trying to get a game each week is quite tough, especially with the depth we’ve got at the Swans at the moment. Being able to adapt to different roles has obviously helped me get a game every week, and if there is anything I can do to help the team out I’m happy to do that, and I’ll continue to do that for the rest of my career.
Is there anyone in particular who has helped set you on the right track this season?
Kieren Jack was my mentor this year, so I worked with him, as well as Rhyce Shaw and coaches Stuart Dew and Henry Playfair. They’ve all kept me on the right track with their experience, and they’ve also helped me to understand that there is a life outside of footy, even though we seem to forget that sometimes. They’ve all been really good at keeping me down to earth and helping me know what to work on the next week so I can try and get better.
You’ve got a full senior season under your belt now and you’ll be coming back later this year for pre-season. What are some of the things you hope to work on?
It’s always about fitness, so I’ll be working on my endurance and speed just to take it to the next level. I’ll be doing that through the off-season so when I come back I’ll hit the ground running.
Any plans for the off-season?
I’m heading overseas with a few of the boys, but only for about three or four nights, and then I’ll head back to Wagga.
