On the eve of David Cuningham’s AFL debut against the Lions, there’s no doubt the young midfielder has earned his call-up to the senior side.

The 19-year-old, who was taken at pick 23 in the 2015 national draft, has worked hard to overcome hip injuries throughout the year and gain valuable experience in the VFL.

During the Northern Blues podcast this week, Northern’s senior coach Josh Fraser praised Cuningham’s work rate and improved aerobic capacity since joining the team. 

“I think he’s building really well, I guess his form has improved as his fitness base has improved,” Fraser said.

“His work around the stoppages has been really clean, I think his offensive and defensive running has gone to another level, and he’s certainly having more impact on games.

“In terms of the way he’s tracking, he’s tracking in the right direction.”

Last weekend against Richmond at Ikon Park, Cuningham racked up 18 disposals for the Northern Blues, including six marks, six tackles and even booted a goal.

Addressing the media during the week, Carlton’s senior coach Brendon Bolton highlighted that Marc Murphy had been mentoring Cuningham, stating that ‘Murph’ had a “real focus on that, and has done it with real energy”.

The mentoring is clearly paying off, with Bolton reiterating that every new debutant must “earn” their right to pull on the Old Dark Navy Blue jumper.

“You earn the opportunity (to play senior footy) I’ve said that all year, but he’s (Cuningham) a talented player and very good in and around stoppages and we hope he’ll be a long-term player for us.”

Carlton takes on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday, with the match kicking off at 1:45pm.