WESTERN Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson couldn't hide that beaming smile, having finally overcome the calf injury and illness that had spoiled the start to his season.

Johnson, 33, played in the Bulldogs' round-one loss to Collingwood, but then missed the next three games, including last week's defeat by the Brisbane Lions.

However, Friday night's 49-point victory over struggling Adelaide marked a return to form for the Dogs and their veteran forward, who produced a solid performance.

"I've only played two games for the season [but] it feels like I've been on the sidelines for more than seven or eight games," Johnson said.

"It was great to get back out there and now just really looking to build on the rest of the season."

After initially struggling with the pace of the game, Johnson said his teammates helped him have a greater impact on the contests to finish with 24 possessions.

"It was good. I was rapt the boys looked after me and I got my hands on the ball early," he said.

"That sort of gave me confidence in getting back into it."

However, Johnson was more pleased with the effort of the side.

With expectations high after the Dogs' recruitment of forward Barry Hall and their dominance of the NAB Cup competition, Johnson was relieved to return to the winners list.

"The boys played very well. It was a good four-quarter performance," he said.

"It was a tight first quarter then we were able to get on top."

Johnson admitted it had been a tough week for his teammates, who surrendered a five-goal lead to lose to the Lions by 22 points last weekend.

However, he said their character had grown significantly in their disappointment.

"We couldn't wait for tonight to come around after last week," Johnson said.

"We knew we had a fair bit to work on over the week and we were able to work on that and refocus as a group.

"We went away and we spent some good quality time together. We assessed things after the loss last week and we were really keen to make amends for it."