Carlton youngster David Cuningham got through his return unscathed for the Northern Blues Development side.

Returning after a hip injury kept him out for the last month, Cuningham collected seven disposals and had two clearances in managed game time.

The youngster started on-ball and had an early shot on goal, as the Blues trailed by 12 points at the main break against Frankston.

Cuningham said it was a relief to be back out on the ground after an interrupted start to his maiden season.

“I got through alright, just a little bit sore at the end after a few weeks out,” Cuningham said.

“It was good to get through, it was only a taste of it playing one half but it was nice to be back out there and get a bit of the ball.

“It’s probably been about six weeks since I played last so it was good to get that feeling of playing footy again.”

It was Cuningham’s first game since playing against Coburg in Round 7.

The 19-year-old said the aim from now was to continue to build his game time and have a consistent back-end to the season.

“It’s a gradual build from here, hopefully I can have a bit more game time in the coming weeks,” Cuningham said.

“The main goal is getting a bit of consistency and hopefully having a return to form like I was building towards the start of the season.”