During the height of last year’s struggles in front of goal, many Swans fans were crying out for the team to go back to school and work on their finishing - but this may be taking things a little bit too literally.

On Wednesday night, the Swans one-to-three year players learnt the fine art of etiquette in a session designed to get them ready for the increased corporate opportunities that will come throughout their career.

Celebrated etiquette expert, Anna Musson, taught the boys a range of useful skills for the modern corporate world, including correct handshaking and room-entering procedures, and the nuances of table manners and fine dining.

The driver of the session was former captain and Swans Player Welfare and Development Manager - and refined gentleman himself - Dennis Carroll.

Through his role at the club, the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, and as a member of the Swans Hall of Fame, Carroll is a regular at functions and corporate events and organised the lesson so the young players can get up to speed courtesy of Ms Musson’s knowledge.

“Our guys get put into different situations - and they will throughout their career - whether it be with supporters, sponsors or corporate people,” Carroll told SwansTV.

“Really it’s an educative night to give them some education on how to conduct themselves around a dinner table or at a function.”

With players coming to the club from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations, Carroll - a product of regional Wagga Wagga - believes that if a player takes the same approach to their deportment and confidence as they do to their football, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t succeed.

“I think it’s no different than the preparation they put into their on-field, to be the best they can,” he said. “So these little things off-field are going to help set them up.”

“If they feel confident in how they conduct themselves … then they’re going to be better placed to take whatever opportunities present.”

One Swans youngster who doesn’t need too much assistance in his conduct is 19-year old Alex Johnson. The defender from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs showed a calmness and maturity beyond his years on the field last year, and it’s evident that has translated through to his off field manner as well.

Johnson said that although a player’s prime focus is football, it’s important they learn subtleties away from the game as well.

“Obviously you come up here to play footy on the field, but off the field you’ve got to represent the Swans brand,” Johnson said.

“(It’s important) that you represent the brand well so that it sticks in (people’s) mind that Swans players are polite, they know how to conduct themselves, they know how to talk to people, and have a good rapport with the sponsors, because you never know who you’ll meet that can help you down the track.”

Of course there wasn’t much point conducting the session if the players didn’t have any areas to improve on, and Johnson light-heartedly reveals some of his teammates made a few unacceptable faux pas on the night.

“I think Jed (Lamb) made a couple, but he’ll learn from them and use proper English and not slang,” Johnson said.

“(Gary Rohan) was pretty good, but he likes to use words he used back in Cobbo (Gary's hometown of Cobden)!”