WESTERN Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson will play his 300th senior match in his team’s season opener against Adelaide on March 23, but all the champion forward wants is a good performance from his side as it starts its 2008 campaign.

Johnson says the Bulldogs must start well and not falter – as they did in the second half of last season – if they are to be a legitimate threat this year.

“We’re just super keen to start well,” Johnson said at the AFL captains' day at Telstra Dome on Thursday.

“You know, if we get off to a good start, hopefully then we can hold it and learn on a few things from last year.

“The most important thing for us is just the way we’re going to start the year.

“This year, we’re super keen as I said, to get off to a good one and who knows what can happen from there? That’s just our focus; we’re not too worried about anything else.”

Johnson said his young team had dropped away badly towards the end of 2007 but after a big off-season Bulldog fans could expect good things in the early rounds.

“We are ready to go,” he said.

“We’ve had a good summer and we’re all fit and ready to go, so it should be a good first-up match.

“Our form’s been fairly good … we started off okay and we’ve built from there.

“We had a poor game against the Bombers I suppose in [the] NAB Cup, but our other performances have been very good,” he said.

“Once you go out of the NAB Cup you start to gear up for round one and the last few weeks we’ve been able to do that, so we’re looking forward to starting now.”

Some have suggested the Bulldogs, and in particular coach Rodney Eade, are under the pump this season after a disappointing 2007.

So has the skipper noticed a change in the coach?

“None whatsoever … he hasn’t changed one bit.”