EMERGING midfield propsect David Cuningham is excited by the progress shown by the playing group over the summer.

In his fourth pre-season at Ikon Park, Cuningham is one of a number of young midfielders who possesses the ability to drive Carlton forward as part of phase two.

Speaking to RSN Breakfast, Cuningham said there was a sense of positivity about the work completed so far and the increased depth on the Blues’ list.

“At the moment, the focus is just about training hard — we’ve got to improve on last year,” Cuningham said.

“We’re confident that the training we’re doing will set us up really well and we think the additions of the players we’ve brought in will bolster our forwards, mids and backs.

“We’re positive about the work we’ve done so far.”

For Cuningham, there has been a noticeable change in the Club’s approach to pre-season training this year.

The 21-year-old praised the influence of Andrew Russell, with the new Director of High Performance putting his own spin on things.

“His philosophy is all about quality — we may not be training for as long as previous years but the rest times and break times have decreased,” he said.

“I think I have [enjoyed it more than previous seasons]. It’s really free-flowing and focused on backing it up, while we’re getting into more match simulation now.”

With injury restricting a developing Cuningham to 16 games in three seasons, the youngster is hopeful a breakthrough year is on the cards.

“My body is feeling really good, I’ve basically completed 100 percent of this pre-season,” Cuningham said.

“I’ve been a bit unlucky in the first three years but I’m confident that’s behind me.”