FREMANTLE tagger Ryan Crowley says the weekly stress of running with the opposition's premier midfielders sometimes leaves him with a post-game headache. 

The Dockers' 2012 best and fairest will become the 13th Fremantle player to earn life membership when he plays his 150th match on Saturday against the Brisbane Lions. 

But he conceded it was a stressful existence, highlighted by his reaction after the tight win against Adelaide when he marked Patrick Dangerfield. 

"I had a headache after the game just because he gets a couple early and for the rest of the game I was almost scared," Crowley said this week.

"It's a tough role.

"Mentally it's a pretty draining role because you're usually playing on a gun player week in week out. 

"Even if you're playing one of the lesser teams, they've still got a gun midfielder who you've got to go to so there's no mental respite, and that's probably why I was looking forward to the break so much. 

"I always joke that I'm going grey, which I am, but I'll blame the role."

Crowley cited Adam Goodes, Chris Judd, and Gary Ablett as the best players he has had to play on. 

The Freo midfielder has rarely been beaten in recent times but he conceded that Daniel Hannebery got the better of him in the Dockers' round eight draw with the Sydney Swans.

"I was obviously pretty disappointed with how that game went but I was set for somebody else and it got changed pretty close to the game so I hadn't really done a lot of homework on him but I have now," Crowley said. 

"He goes all right. He's obviously in great form and he showed it again on the weekend. 

"(Hannebery) had 28 touches at half-time (against Adelaide). It made me feel a little bit better." 

Crowley's journey to 150 games has been an uncommon one. 

He was drafted in 2002 but was delisted without having played a game at the end of 2004, before being re-drafted as rookie for the 2005 season. 

He has been a regular since then under three different coaches. 

Crowley feared he might have been shown the door when Ross Lyon arrived at the end of 2011 but the current Dockers coach paid tribute to him this week.

"Obviously I've been here for a short period of time but in that period I've seen Ryan dedicate himself to his football and his role," Lyon said. 

"It's great to see him committed to Fremantle, committed to his football, and he's a really strong off-field character as well. 

"He's a real team driver," he said.