West Coast supporters who watch Shannon Hurn every week would be unsurprised to learn that their captain unleashed a torpedo at training last week that was measured at 90 metres.

While the defender was unsure about the exact length of the kick when asked about it during an interview on Fox Footy's On The Couch on Monday night, Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy said he had it on good authority that it went the distance.

In fact when Hurn left the training track at Domain Stadium – the longest ground in the league – Healy said an Eagles official stepped out the length of the torpedo for good measure.

"Certainly at training I practise a few torpedos," Hurn said. "I've managed to get onto a few this year, and a couple at [Domain Stadium] have gone roughly to the centre circle. I'm just not confident enough game day."

Why don't we see it more often under pressure?

Well, Hurn hinted it could yet become a weapon during the finals, particularly from kickouts, which have become the hardest execution in the game, and even more against September-bound teams like Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs who are known for their hard forward presses.

"You've got to save a few things up your sleeve; you don't want to give away too many tricks," Hurn said.

"The game now is being played in an 18-man zone when you're kicking in, so you've certainly got to have a few different options that you want to be able to go to," he said.

"Having some length in your kick can hopefully stretch the zone.

"That might be one thing we use when we need field position … especially on the smaller grounds like MCG or Etihad Stadium. You tend to get it to the centre square if you get onto it fairly well."

So, what's his secret?

"It's all about timing. Everyone tries to kick the hell out of the ball, but it's about just being nice and balanced and, when it comes to kicking it, just having that timing to get the momentum going through the ball.

"It's certainly something I pride myself on, and you've just got to practise it all the time. You never know when you might need it in a game – especially after the siren, you might have to kick a torpedo."