Cunningham, who added five senior games to his career tally last season, booted two goals in each of his two finals appearances to tie with Luke Parker, and also collected a career-high 15 possessions in the semi final win over Carlton.
In both finals, the boy from Wagga Wagga’s contribution came at just the right time, with his two goals against the Blues coming when the side was a man down, as well as an important snap in the first quarter of the preliminary final against Fremantle to keep the Swans in the game.
Heading into his third season at the club and with the taste of finals football still fresh in his mind, the 20-year-old told SwansTV that he was determined to pick up where he left off last year.
“That finals experience definitely gave me some confidence going into the pre-season,” Cunningham told.
“I worked really hard in the off-season and throughout the Christmas break to work on my fitness and to just take that next step up.
“I think I’m starting to take that step so hopefully I can play a lot of games this year and keep improving.
“I just need to consistently perform each week and put my name up there.”
Cunningham’s late-season rise in 2013 came after he missed eight weeks with a medial ligament injury, which he suffered in a Swans reserves match last April.
The injury could not have come at a worse time for the Turvey Park product, with a number of fellow young players including Brandon Jack, Tom Mitchell and Xavier Richards all making their debut as injury hit the senior Swans side.
While admitting spending two months out of the game was difficult given the circumstances, Cunningham said he felt his time of the sidelines helped him better his game.
“It was frustrating but that’s footy I suppose and you move on and you definitely become a better person and you improve your game once you go through those challenges,” he said.
“I really feel like I learnt from it and I was able to take those steps towards consistently improving my game.”
Improvement has been on the cards for Cunningham this pre-season, as he performed well in the running program pre-Christmas and has completed every session in the new year.
The third-year Swan said he had hoped his strong form this pre-season could translate into more senior opportunities in 2014.
“I’m going alright but that’s probably because I’ve been out there most sessions and I haven’t really missed a beat and touch wood, I haven’t really had any injuries as of yet,” he said.
“I’ve worked hard this pre-season to make sure my fitness is right up there so I can play at that elite level, so I suppose we’ll see coming into the games soon.
“I’ve got to really have an impact once the games start, so hopefully I get a crack at it.”
