Despite suffering a knee injury early in the season, Cunningham worked his way into senior contention in the second half of the season and played as the substitute in rounds 17 and 18.
A strong performance in the Swans’ round 23 loss to Hawthorn put the youngster in the frame to be selected for his first final, which he achieved in the club’s home semi final.
The 19-year-old made the most of his opportunities in September, kicking two goals in both the semi final win over Carlton and the club’s preliminary final loss to Fremantle, and finished the two matches with 15 and 13 possessions respectively.
How did you sum up your year in 2013?
It’s a bit hard. I had a few injuries so I came onto the scene a bit later than I would have liked but I finished off the year with a couple of handy games in finals time, and that’s why we play footy.
After playing just one game last year, you played two finals this year. No doubt that was a highlight?
Those two finals were very exciting. It was a big improvement from last year where I played just the one game, and I really look forward to next year and trying to get in the side every week.
You also kicked a couple of great finals goals. What was that like for you?
It was definitely exciting to get my first goal and then contribute to the team in the finals. It was a very disappointing end, especially to send Jude Bolton off like that. He’s been massive for the club as everyone knows and it was disappointing to go out against Freo.
What are some of the things you learnt this year?
I learnt plenty of things this year. You learn plenty of things about yourself I suppose both on and off the field as well as about everyone else and footy wise I had to learn a lot about the defensive side of the game and what it takes to play senior footy. I found that out especially in finals time in the high-pressure games and you’ve got to find that out pretty quickly. I definitely learnt a lot of things this year.
Who has helped you along the way this year?
I’ve worked pretty closely with the likes of Jared Crouch, Nick Davis, Stu Dew and Leigh Tudor and then Benny McGlynn was my mentor this year and he was massive for me. To do what I did this year a big thanks goes to him, he was massive this year, as well as Rhyce Shaw, especially during my injury. Rhyce was obviously in there at the same time as well and I worked really closely with both of them and they’ve helped me a lot.
How tough was it to battle injury, especially knowing you’d made your debut the year before?
It was difficult, but like I said, I had a lot of guys around me who helped me out and really helped me through that tough period. I suppose what was urging me on was a senior spot. I’m pretty competitive at the best of times and I hate sitting out and watching games, so I had to get back in there.
What do you think you need to improve in the next pre-season?
I just need to keep consistent with my injuries and effort. I’ll work very hard in the off-season to get everything right and get my body right. I’ll have a rest for a couple of weeks and then get straight into pre-season training and really test my run and get it to that elite level that it needs to be week in, week out.
What are your plans for the break?
I’ll head home for a couple of weeks then I’ll head off to Bali with a few of the boys and just enjoy it, and then I’ve got a few things down in Melbourne and a couple of race days that I’ll attend. I’ll just enjoy myself while I can.
