THE weekly update sent out to the media always lists two training sessions.

We have a set schedule. If we play on a Saturday, we have a light session on Tuesday, and our main training session on Thursday.

If we are playing on a Sunday, as we are this week against Richmond at the MCG, we train on Wednesday afternoon and then Friday afternoon.

So people might think that’s all we do - but it’s far from it.

In those two sessions we run around and do ball work, fitness and match practice but there is so much more “training’’ that we do each week, mostly behind closed doors.

We start the week with a session called “off-legs’’, and there are no prizes for guessing that involves things like swimming, bike riding, the rower and the grinder. You can also do boxing, and that’s the group I’ve been in recently.

We have a boxing coach who comes in to the club, and there are about 12 of us in the group. The sparring is pretty good fun but it can generate into something similar to a bar room brawl!

The worst boxer is Kristin Thornton - he boxes like he is swimming, with arms flailing everywhere. You want to fight him if you get the chance because he’s hopeless.

Kieren Jack is dangerous -  he likes to fight from behind and throw a late punch.

And then there’s Bevo who reacts badly if he gets a heavy hit - so badly that he tries to genuinely knock you out. It’s his boxing version of white line  fever. He’s got a long history. I played with him in the Under 12 NSW schoolboys’ team, and he’s the only kid who’s every been suspended from the national schoolboys carnival!

Mike Pyke, otherwise known as “the source’’ for reasons I can’t divulge publicly, throws some pretty powerful punches and had a long reach.

I have a go and enjoy it. Being good at boxing is all about timing and movement, but for us it’s just another way to get fit without having to run around.

Swimming is another interesting one. Lewie Roberts-Thomson is a standout, but we don’t let Irishman Chris McKaigue go in at the deep end. He’s so bad he’s having swimming lessons, and dog paddle is his best stroke.

But for all the fun, it’s really important to get a lot out of those sessions because they are such a big part of our week, especially if you're a bit sore after a tough game.