BEING drenched by “10 litres of Powerade” was the perfect end to Saturday night for Wagga’s Harry Cunningham.
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The Sydney Swans debutant was thrilled to be part of Saturday night’s win over Greater Western Sydney after starting as a substitute.
Cunningham was injected into the game just before three-quarter time and finished with four kicks and two marks.
The 18-year-old described the experience as a dream come true.
“It was unbelievable ... there’s so much more hype and excitement compared to a pre-season game,” he said.
“I was a little bit nervous but I think being the sub helped me settle and once you’re out there I was just focused on getting into the game.”
Far from living the dream of kicking a goal with his first kick, Cunningham can still remember his first touch.
“I actually turned it over with my first kick,” he said.
“The best advice I got was to treat it as just another game of footy and I think I settled in pretty well after that.”
Cunningham was subbed into the game in place of Luke Parker, who had been crunched by Giants veteran James MacDonald earlier in the match.
After a tight opening quarter the Swans ran away with the match and ended up winning by 63 points.
Despite the margin, the AFL’s newest club was far from disgraced and showed it might not be easily beaten.
Cunningham was impressed with what he saw.
“There were some really good signs for them in their first match,” he said.
“The Giants played really well in patches and I think they’ll challenge a few teams this season.”
The former Turvey Park junior was also keen to catch up was Leeton-Whitton rival and Giants midfielder Jacob Townsend.
“I got to catch up with Jacob after the match and we had a chat for a while,” he said.
“Unfortunately I didn’t get to give him one during the match, though.”
The debut caps off a sensational entry into AFL ranks after being drafted late in the rookie draft last year.
