HE IS part of the new-breed of Sydney Swans putting pressure on Ryan O'Keefe, but Harry Cunningham is backing his veteran teammate to play a huge part in the club's campaign this year and beyond.
O'Keefe drew plenty of attention early in 2014 when the Norm Smith medallist was initially left out of the side for the round one clash with Greater Western Sydney.
He ultimately earned a reprieve due to an injury to Kieren Jack and has played each game since, gradually building his performance.
While critics and some media were digging for reasons behind O'Keefe's initial omission, the reality was the pre-seasons of players such as Cunningham, Tom Mitchell and Luke Parker placed the former club champion firmly under the gun.
However Cunningham has no doubt the 33-year-old, who sits fourth on the Swans' all-time list with 285 games, has plenty of footy left in him.
"He definitely does," Cunningham said on Wednesday. "He's an elite player and still able to do it at this age.
"The pre-seasons that Luke, Tommy and I have had just shows the depth the Swans have got and we can really look forward to the future with that depth.
"Ryan's definitely got a place in the side this year.
"Whether it's on or off the field, he's massive for us and he'll continue to be that for the rest of the year and however long he wants to play."
Cunningham, 20, showed his improvement and growing stature at the club by playing in the Swans' semi-final and preliminary finals last year.
That gave him a welcome fillip and he then made sure he came back into another pre-season in the best possible shape.
Through three games this year, Cunningham has kicked five goals, including three in last week's victory over Adelaide.
He knows hard work is the key to remaining in coach John Longmire's best 22.
"Last off-season I didn't really go away, I just stuck to the program and did everything I could to get in good nick," he said.
"I did have a few niggles towards the end of the year, got those right and then just knuckled down from there.
"The few finals games I was able to play last year gave me that confidence going into this year.
"If I get a game, all I have to do is just keep turning up week in, week out and doing the little things for the team."
Cunningham is part of a fleet-footed trio the Swans are trying to use this year, which also includes Lewis Jetta and Gary Rohan.
He believes Rohan and Jetta would both have him covered in a sprint, but feels they can all cause the opposition plenty of headaches, starting with North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday.
“We’re all pretty young so we can look forward to the future with that," Cunningham said.
“There’s a lot of speed there and if we can get 'Jets' into space, or 'Gaz' or myself, it’s beneficial for the team.
“It’s not just when we have the footy, it’s also when we don’t have the footy with the chase-down tackles and the pressure.
“It just puts the opposition team under pressure and helps our defence massively.”
