The 20-year-old, who took out the Rising Star Award at the Sydney Swans Club Champion dinner, played every match during the season after just six matches across his first two seasons at the club.
Speaking to SwansTV after winning the award, Cunningham said Shaw helped him narrow down his goals for 2014.
“I sort of just put it down to a big pre-season,” Cunningham said backstage.
“I spoke to ‘Horse’ about it today and spoke about how I sat down with Rhyce Shaw at the start of the year and put some goals down.
“First of all it was to play round one, and from there on it was to cement a spot, because it’s very hard to cement a spot in such a great team in the Sydney Swans.”
With plenty of Cunningham’s friends from his home town of Wagga Wagga in the crowd on Friday night, his Rising Star acceptance was met with one of the biggest roars of the evening.
The crowd were also on their feet when Cunningham was named in the top-ten of the Skilton Medal, with the young Swan polling 520 votes for the season, landing him in tenth place.
Cunningham said he was extremely proud of his achievements in 2014, which also included an AFL Rising Star nomination for his efforts in round 15.
“It’s an absolute honour and a very humbling experience,” he said.
“It’s absolutely amazing to be able to play at such a great club and to receive an award in front of all of our fans and all of the players.”
With past recipients of the Swans Rising Star including co-captain Kieren Jack and Norm Smith medallist Ryan O’Keefe, Cunningham said he also felt honoured to be in the same company of such successful players.
“It’s very humbling to be able to receive it after such great players including Dane Rampe last year, as well as Kieren Jack and then you’ve got Ryan O’Keefe who is recently retired,” he said.
“It’s amazing to be able to receive it after guys like that.”
After three seasons and with 31 senior games under his belt, Cunningham said he would need to continue to improve his game in 2015 to maintain his place in the club’s best 22.
“I’m just going to have to get better next season just to go again,” he said.
“We’ve got such depth and that’s the great thing about our club is that we can only go up from here and that’s what we’re definitely going to do.
“It’s been good to be able to play all of the games this year and develop as a young fella.
“I can only go up from here, which is the great thing.”
Harry Cunningham with his table of mates at Friday night's Bob Skilton Medal dinner
