Player Watch #7 Harry Cunningham

[Kennedy Parker]

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

7

Harry Cunningham

Age

30

Ht

181cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.0

4star

K

8.3

3star

HB

6.7

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

3.2

5star

MG

287.3

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

9.3

4star

HB

5.5

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

2.9

4star

MG

287.3

4star

D

6.4

2star

K

3.8

2star

HB

2.6

3star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.6

4star

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

Harry Cunningham | AFL

Follow Harry Cunningham's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[Citrus22]

Gotta give the man credit for how well he's played in the 2nd half of this season. Really has looked back to his best after an inconsistent few years.

 

[The King!]

ball use a lot better

 

[Superstar swan]

I was sceptical of him being given a list spot, and started off pretty bad. But his last couple of months he's been pretty bloody good. Credit where credit is due

 

[Dubsforsam1]

I was sceptical of him being given a list spot, and started off pretty bad. But his last couple of months he's been pretty bloody good. Credit where credit is due

Are you admitting the coaching staff maybe know a lot more than you?

 

[Dubai Quacker]

History’s greatest 93rd selection in a rookie draft.

 

[Kiama Chris]

History’s greatest 93rd selection in a rookie draft.

Riverina boy. GWS hahahaha.

 

[Dubai Quacker]

If Harry does get Toby Greene

4

Toby Greene

Age

30

Ht

182cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.7

5star

K

12.5

5star

HB

10.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.2

4star

D

17.5

4star

K

9.5

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.8

4star

T

1.0

2star

G

2.3

5star

D

26.6

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

14.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.6

5star

G

0.0

1star

this week, he’s THE most pivotal player in the AFL this week.

 

[Bloods86]

Love this guy. Been Best 22 in several positions, has come back after people wrote him off.

'Simple and clear mindset' helps forgotten Swan re-emerge

 

[Ticky009]

Congrats Harry

 

[Cadsky]

Unfortunately I think the writing is on the wall for Harry this season. With the amount of competition for spots. The club has already shown they're not afraid to keep him out of the team when he struggled for a spot in the '22 best 22. Now looks like he's on a modified program so a shorter preseason to get him going and I think he's expendable. Not every best 22 player is going to make the team this year and I think Harry is one of the unlucky ones.

 

[JackHiscoxWasFast]

Unfortunately I think the writing is on the wall for Harry this season. With the amount of competition for spots. The club has already shown they're not afraid to keep him out of the team when he struggled for a spot in the '22 best 22. Now looks like he's on a modified program so a shorter preseason to get him going and I think he's expendable. Not every best 22 player is going to make the team this year and I think Harry is one of the unlucky ones.

I was a bit down on Harry in 2022 and thought it was time to move on. But boy did his form lift last year, hope he can keep it elite for 1 more season. ILFP.

 

[Callipygian]

Except, except... according to Bloods86' depth charts his is a position we're not blessed with a lot of depth. Might depend on how the likes of Vickery come on and who we can get by trade. (Or maybe not because it is hard to squeeze Harry into a best 22 these days.)

Could Kirk be groomed for this type of a role? Is Kirk quick enough?

Also, Harry is the kind of player that I could easily see being kept around by the club and being sent to coach at the Academy or similar (if he is interested).

 

[Bonz]

Unfortunately I think the writing is on the wall for Harry this season. With the amount of competition for spots. The club has already shown they're not afraid to keep him out of the team when he struggled for a spot in the '22 best 22. Now looks like he's on a modified program so a shorter preseason to get him going and I think he's expendable. Not every best 22 player is going to make the team this year and I think Harry is one of the unlucky ones.

His one of our few genuine lockdown small defenders.

This his a lock in our 22 unless someone else pops up.

He doesn't get noticed much on GameDay, but this is not a bad thing and his rated by the coaches and the players.

 

[Bloods86]

Came here to defend Harry's spot in the 22, to find everything's been said AND my depth charts even got a mention.

Even leaving aside his good form this year, we have no-one else, unless you play Fox as the small defender (Harry does it better on the smaller guys, Fox on medium types, even KPFs).

 

[robbieando]

His one of our few genuine lockdown small defenders.

This his a lock in our 22 unless someone else pops up.

He doesn't get noticed much on GameDay, but this is not a bad thing and his rated by the coaches and the players.

While I agree with this point, I could also at some point see us running a Back 7 of McCartin, Hamling, Francis, Rampe, Fox, Blakey and Florent in line with the way game is moving with defensive setups.

 

[sataris]

If I have to get a new avatar I will be severely disappointed.

 

[Nuggetz]

I was a bit down on Harry in 2022 and thought it was time to move on. But boy did his form lift last year, hope he can keep it elite for 1 more season. ILFP.

Ditto. Proved me wrong last year, hope he can maintain the same form.

While I agree with this point, I could also at some point see us running a Back 7 of McCartin, Hamling, Francis, Rampe, Fox, Blakey and Florent in line with the way game is moving with defensive setups.

Valid point, could Harry play a similar role to Fox or Florent in that set up?

Imo it's a bit like the debate surrounding Wicks spot in the team. I'm unsure what type of structure & gamestyle coaches want this season, considering the depth & versatility in players this year. At his best he's in the best 23 due to his defensive abilities & athletic traits.

 

[Dan87]

He'll be a handy best 25 player going forward but I think he played more this year than expected because we were destabilised down back for most of it imo

 

[Jewelsbon]

If I have to get a new avatar I will be severely disappointed.

Well I do hope the club takes this into consideration

 

[sataris]

Well I do hope the club takes this into consideration

They are most definitely aware of the consequences.

 

[Kiama Chris]

Ditto. Proved me wrong last year, hope he can maintain the same form.



Valid point, could Harry play a similar role to Fox or Florent in that set up?

Imo it's a bit like the debate surrounding Wicks spot in the team. I'm unsure what type of structure & gamestyle coaches want this season, considering the depth & versatility in players this year. At his best he's in the best 23 due to his defensive abilities & athletic traits.

Definitely depends on two things:
1. Harry's personal form. Does he warrant a spot in the back seven no matter what?
2. Do we play a lockdown on the most dangerous small forward or rely on the zone? At present Harry is the only one with the credentials to play that lockdown role. See point 1.
Over the last few years we have done a little of both. Neither has been 100% successful nor a total failure.
We all have our opinions and TBH mostly we are all at least partly right.
For mine Harry is one of the very few who can put the dampers on Charlie Cameron and Kozi and the like and that alone should earn him a spot provided he's 100% fit.

 

[Callipygian]

While I agree with this point, I could also at some point see us running a Back 7 of McCartin, Hamling, Francis, Rampe, Fox, Blakey and Florent in line with the way game is moving with defensive setups.

Yeah, nah. I don't think we will ever play that back 7 and I wouldn't want us to. Too tall. And Francis can't play Harry's role. You're also omitting Lloyd, which is bold - is that intentional?

 

[Millky95]

 

[caesar88]

It's just a training clip but it reinforces why Cunningham will very likely play 23 games this year, plus any finals if we're good enough to feature in them.

Who else on the list is gonna be able to fairly reliably win 1v1s in defence like that, every quarter, of every game?

Rampe & Mills the obvious candidates, but one will be 34 mid-year and the other won't even be playing til mid-year.

There's Fox, but he seems on the outs with Horse.

Florent & Lloyd, forget it. They're more your traditional flankers, and while Blakey is greatly-improved in contested work, it's ideally something he's not doing much.

Any talk of Vickery, Roberts, Warner Jr. etc. I think is folly. Horse is not going to drop a near-200 gamer who is performing to try a kid with under 10 games on his belt.

So the spot really is Cunningham's to lose. He's no Nick Smith, nor is he even a Quaynor. But he is the best we've got. If he performs well enough, he'll be selected every time, regardless of his perceived limitations offensively.

 

[Kiama Chris]

It's just a training clip but it reinforces why Cunningham will very likely play 23 games this year, plus any finals if we're good enough to feature in them.

Who else on the list is gonna be able to fairly reliably win 1v1s in defence like that, every quarter, of every game?

Rampe & Mills the obvious candidates, but one will be 34 mid-year and the other won't even be playing til mid-year.

There's Fox, but he seems on the outs with Horse.

Florent & Lloyd, forget it. They're more your traditional flankers, and while Blakey is greatly-improved in contested work, it's ideally something he's not doing much.

Any talk of Vickery, Roberts, Warner Jr. etc. I think is folly. Horse is not going to drop a near-200 gamer who is performing to try a kid with under 10 games on his belt.

So the spot really is Cunningham's to lose. He's no Nick Smith, nor is he even a Quaynor. But he is the best we've got. If he performs well enough, he'll be selected every time, regardless of his perceived limitations offensively.

I agree with everything except the offensive limitations. Harry is still a damn good and long kick to advantage. Not so much a dodgy runner but he is usually held back to stay close to his man so we don't use him that much.