Player Watch #7 Harry Cunningham

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Harry Cunningham

Player Profile

Harry Cunningham is one of the quickest players at the Sydney Swans, is clean by hand and foot and can play in defence, on a wing and in the forward line. The 2012 draftee was in blistering form over the opening seven rounds of the 2019 campaign, before injury limited him to just two games over the remainder of the season, so expect him to be hungry for a comeback 2020 year. Draft history: 2012 Rookie Draft selection (Sydney) No. 93; 2012 AFL Draft rookie elevation (Sydney) selection No. 107

Harry Cunningham

DOB: 06 December 1993
DEBUT: 2012
DRAFT: 2012
RECRUITED FROM: Turvey Park (NSW)/NSW-ACT U18/Wagga (NSW)

 
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Tedeski

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in my defence i think he was worried about getting hurt too often in the past and made dumb decisions, but i should not have said squib as Ted said so I am sorry Harry if he ever for some reason read this

His role is to be an outside player mate & every team has them & need them. In your defence he isn't the most natural tackler so this can give the effect that he is "worried about getting hurt" & good of you to acknowledge your heat of the moment comment was a bit rough for one of our blokes just having a crack in the red & white on low dollars.
 
His role is to be an outside player mate & every team has them & need them. In your defence he isn't the most natural tackler so this can give the effect that he is "worried about getting hurt" & good of you to acknowledge your heat of the moment comment was a bit rough for one of our blokes just having a crack in the red & white on low dollars.


Look 100% I know we disagree on what players are doing out there at times but yep you are right not 1 AFL player is actually a squib if they are willing to take that field so its a poor choice, I would also agree he would not of been worried about getting hurt (well anymore than anyone else) I should of put it more as he rushes decisions under pressure, but I was probably also having a s**t of a day and I am sure I will make similar stupid comments again and I am sure I can rely on you all to pull me up.
 

Tedeski

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Look 100% I know we disagree on what players are doing out there at times but yep you are right not 1 AFL player is actually a squib if they are willing to take that field so its a poor choice, I would also agree he would not of been worried about getting hurt (well anymore than anyone else) I should of put it more as he rushes decisions under pressure, but I was probably also having a s**t of a day and I am sure I will make similar stupid comments again and I am sure I can rely on you all to pull me up.

Frustration mate. It's makes us do & say silly things.
 

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Massive respect for Cunningham after this year! Will never be a BOG type player but I just respect the hell out of players who will themselves to be better. I think he's another who would benefit more from our games opening up more.
 
Jun 19, 2011
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Credit where it’s due,

Someone said not many of our list went forward in 2018

Cunningham had a better year this year than previously,

He's still very prone to some unconfident or kinda weak bits of play but this has been his best year for us comfortably, well done to him.

I'm not sure he's in our next premiership side, but he's doing what he can and fair play to that.
 
Have to admit I never really rated him, but shown a lot of improvement this year to stay in the side and 100 games at AFL level is no mean feat.

Well done Harry.
 
He's been great but I fear this is his ceiling.
So what if it is? He was one of our best on Saturday night and has had a consistantly good season. If he can play for the next 5+ years to the standard he has this year, then we will be going pretty well.
 
I too have been happily surprised by his season. When he was not by GWS and a had a good pre-season he looked like a winner. Subsequently he seemed to lose confidence and his way. Happily for him and the team he has found some mojo. One of our few good ball users, he now gets more of it and does all the team things.
 

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SilentHunter_

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So what if it is? He was one of our best on Saturday night and has had a consistantly good season. If he can play for the next 5+ years to the standard he has this year, then we will be going pretty well.
Nothing wrong with any of that. His 'ceiling' right now is more than any other football player could ever dream of and he's doing his job as required from the coaches. But he won't be a difference maker in big games going forward.
 
Nothing wrong with any of that. His 'ceiling' right now is more than any other football player could ever dream of and he's doing his job as required from the coaches. But he won't be a difference maker in big games going forward.
Now this I disagree with! If we had have won on Saturday night, a lot of that would have been on the back of such a good game by Harry. I believe the old adage- its the bottom half of your list that makes the difference.
 
Jun 19, 2011
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I think you can make a very strong argument that Cunningham has never played better than he did on Saturday. Keeping Isaac Smith to his equal lowest disposal tally of the season (he's tallied 16 possessions in three games year, twice while matched up against Cunningham in fact) whilst playing a really strong attacking game where he looked confident and strong all game long. He was fantastic and it's topping off his best year as a Swan by far.

Now that I've got all the positive stuff out of the way, I can't say I'm completely sold that he'll continue to back it up in finals, traditionally an arena in which he has struggled. He's in the best form of his life so he's certainly in a strong position to turn his poor finals history around so I'm not saying he won't do it by any means, but I just really hope he doesn't revert to giving the ball away in places where he can be effective and opting to trail in his opponent to the ball to nail a tackle rather than try to beat him to the ball. At his best, he's a really effective player and we need him to run hard and break lines while curtailing the opposition's best runner.

Wouldn't surprise me to see him play across HF next weekend on Lachie Whitfield. Robinson did a good job on him a few weeks ago but I have a feeling he won't retain his spot with Parker and Franklin returning so it might be up to Cunningham.
 
I wonder if he was told he was at a crossroads in the off season because he has taken the game on more and charged at the ball this season and got better and better as the year has gone on.

Also a reasonably reliable shot at goal, feel comfortable if he gets it
 
Nothing wrong with any of that. His 'ceiling' right now is more than any other football player could ever dream of and he's doing his job as required from the coaches. But he won't be a difference maker in big games going forward.
At the least, I'm confident he won't cost us games like some other players might or he may have previously....
 
I wonder if he was told he was at a crossroads in the off season because he has taken the game on more and charged at the ball this season and got better and better as the year has gone on.

Also a reasonably reliable shot at goal, feel comfortable if he gets it
He very well could have Kingy coz he's been a different player this year, fingers crossed he keeps it up!
 
He's been great but I fear this is his ceiling.

Well based on ceilings of our players, Cunningham probably would be in our bottom 6. Which is a great position to be in because he's been bloody solid this year and a consistent performer. It also says a lot about the improvement there is in the rest of our team next year.
 
Well based on ceilings of our players, Cunningham probably would be in our bottom 6. Which is a great position to be in because he's been bloody solid this year and a consistent performer. It also says a lot about the improvement there is in the rest of our team next year.
I'd have a lot of players behind Cunningham for bottom 6 honours: Fox, Florent, Robinson, Hayward, Jack, Dawson, McCartin, Ronke, Newman for a start

He'd be a top 10 in the B&F for me
 
Jun 19, 2011
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I'd have a lot of players behind Cunningham for bottom 6 honours: Fox, Florent, Robinson, Hayward, Jack, Dawson, McCartin, Ronke, Newman for a start

He'd be a top 10 in the B&F for me

Agreed. I reckon the top 10 atm would be:

1. Heeney
2. Sinclair
3. Hewett
4. Parker
5. Lloyd
6. Franklin
7. Kennedy
8. Rampe
9. McVeigh
10. Cunningham
 
I'd have a lot of players behind Cunningham for bottom 6 honours: Fox, Florent, Robinson, Hayward, Jack, Dawson, McCartin, Ronke, Newman for a start

He'd be a top 10 in the B&F for me

I meant when our best 22 are all fit though. Because if they were, I'm not sure Fox, Robinson, McCartin and Newman would even be getting games.
 

Jack2Jack

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When you go through the list and put to tick next to those who have actually had a better year than last, he's one of only a handful who has (excluding 1st-2nd year kids obviously).
Had a good season, one of our only players who can often hit his target with 35m+ kicks....probably our best ball user going into the 50 outside of Franklin. He looked good early in his career too but stagnated for the last few years, hopefully he can keep this form going into the finals and then maybe build on it next season.
 
Agreed. I reckon the top 10 atm would be:

1. Heeney
2. Sinclair
3. Hewett
4. Parker
5. Lloyd
6. Franklin
7. Kennedy
8. Rampe
9. McVeigh
10. Cunningham
I agree they would be the top 10, but I reckon your top 5 order is wrong... Heeney hasn't been great all year, he didn't really play well while Hanners was missing.

1. Parker
2. Lloyd
3. Sinclair
3. Hewett
5. Heeney
 

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