Harry Cunningham has played a variety of roles for Sydney over the years, mostly switching between wing and half back using his pace and good decision making with ball in hand. This year he has started deeper as a lockdown defender, a role which will become even more crucial for the Swans on their run into finals with a long-term injury to Dane Rampe. Small forwards tend to come into their own in the tight tussle of finals footy, able to burst away and cut teams open on quick attacks to break a deadlock. Cunningham is the man standing in their way for the Bloods.
Harry Cunningham has played a variety of roles for Sydney over the years, mostly switching between wing and half back using his pace and good decision making with ball in hand. This year he has started deeper as a lockdown defender, a role which will become even more crucial for the Swans on their run into finals with a long-term injury to Dane Rampe. Small forwards tend to come into their own in the tight tussle of finals footy, able to burst away and cut teams open on quick attacks to break a deadlock. Cunningham is the man standing in their way for the Bloods.
Cunningham jumps shark
Speedster Harry Cunningham was on track for his best season to date, going at 23 touches and a near 2:1 kick-to-handball ratio. Then came a groin strain suffered in round 7 which brought his progress to a halt until late in the piece, before season-ending groin surgery put him on ice indefinitely. Only since 2018 has he been fantasy-relevant, never averaging over 70 beforehand. All reports suggest that Cunningham is moving well and was back to full training as of January. His best is worth a late-round pick as midfield bench cover, so add him to the preseason watchlist if you feel like it. There are enough midfielders in the same echelon that no sleep should be lost over his selection.
Harry Cunningham is one of a number of Swans who have benefited statistically from a change in gameplan in 2019, shifting to a ball-control model when rebounding rather than concentrating on field position and stoppages. This has meant wild scores from the likes of Lloyd and Cunningham, especially in basic formats as the uncontested nature of a lot of the possessions is penalised in exotic scoring. It is not difficult to envisage both aforementioned Swans ending up in the top six fantasy backs by season's end.
Harry's cunning plan
This speedy outside runner returned from a foot injury to deliver a career-best showing in 2018. Harry Cunningham averaged a career-high 18 touches and established himself as a regular in the senior lineup, adding more midfield minutes to his resume compared to years gone by. Some early-season tagging duties gave no benefit for his own fantasy scores. Cunningham’s role is still peppered with uncertainty, evidenced by his switch into defence in the elimination final. If he can hold his spot in the lineup and stay in midfield, Cunningham would be reasonable bench cover, but not an every-week starter with only midfield eligibility. A late round pick is the only one coaches should use.
Sad days for Cunningham
With Sydney’s crop of talented youngsters solidifying spots in the starting line-up, Harry Cunningham wasn’t able to regain his spot after a round 9 Lisfranc injury until the last week of home & away, followed by a disappointing finals series. While Cunningham is no stranger to the starting line-up, it’s difficult to guarantee his presence throughout the entire season. An impact player nonetheless, his fantasy numbers make him mostly irrelevant. Bench cover at best.
