Johnson has been picked to captain what is set to be a near full-strength Fremantle outfit in the Victorian bushfires fundraiser derby, after David Mundy and Paul Hasleby took their chances to lead the side.
The reliable defender said it was an honour to captain the club and a step towards having a bigger role in Fremantle's leadership group.
"Every young kid out there always wants to captain his side, so it’s a special occasion to captain Fremantle this week," Johnson said from Fremantle Oval on Monday.
"I suppose this is a part of enhancing my leadership around the club. Hopefully I can get a win under my belt and just improve my leadership at the club.”
Coach Mark Harvey announced before the NAB Cup opener that he would give Johnson, Mundy, Hasleby and Roger Hayden the captaincy for the pre-season, but Johnson only found out on Monday morning he would take his turn this Saturday.
Belmont under 13s was the last side the 24-year-old captained, but he said he would seek out captain Matthew Pavlich and the side's other senior players for some words of advice before addressing the players on Saturday.
"I've been trying to think of what to say [before the game] this morning, so hopefully the boys don't get on my back," he said.
"I only found out a couple of hours ago, so I guess I'll see [the leadership group] over the week, ask them a few questions and they'll help me out as well.
"It's a great opportunity to captain the side and hopefully the boys will do me proud."
Hasleby captained a young Fremantle side in Saturday's 97-point NAB Challenge thrashing by North Melbourne, but Johnson expected a number of senior players to return for the West Coast clash.
Aaron Sandilands, Luke McPharlin, Mundy and Johnson all missed Saturday's match at Manuka Oval, but Johnson said the younger players got plenty out of the game.
"We had a young side on the weekend – Harves wants to check out the young guys and see where they're at," he said.
"It's a great experience for them to go over there and play against the Kangaroos, who had a full strength side.
"The boys are down, but it's only a scratch match. We're still working on a few things before round one against the Western Bulldogs. It was scratchy and hopefully we can fix up a few things.
"We want to get everything we've been training for over the pre-season [right] – this week and the week after leading up to round one."
Dream Team watch: Michael Johnson scored 43 points against Richmond in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.
