Brad Johnson has described his 300th game against Adelaide as one of the better ones he had been involved in but said nothing will make up for the pain the Crows have inflicted on him during his career.

In a fairytale finish, Johnson, who finished with five majors, booted his side's final three goals of the game to ensure he would leave Telstra Dome a winner after becoming just the sixth player in the Bulldogs' history to play 300 matches for the club.

The first goal of his final burst came fortuitously after Robert Shirley misjudged a wobbly kick from Brian Lake.

"If it was (Nathan) Bassett or (Ben) Rutten they possibly would have marked it. Brian kicked one of his fantastic floaters which managed to touch his hand and fall my way," Johnson said.

His second came from a set shot after marking 40 metres out and the last came when Bassett left him to be the third man up in a marking contest only for Johnson to shark the spillage.

That it came against Adelaide was poignant as that club had a decade earlier deprived him of playing in a grand final, most famously - or infamously, depending on your allegiances - in 1997 when the Dogs threw away what appeared to be a match-winning lead.

"We've had some great games against the Crows but they've won the ones that really count at prelim time," Johnson said.

"You really can't compare, we're just rapt to get a win against them."

Highlighting the respect in which he is held in by rival clubs, Adelaide's players formed a guard of honour for Johnson, who left the ground on the shoulders of long-time team-mate Scott West and Lindsay Gilbee.

"We didn't discuss doing it," said Adelaide coach Neil Craig of his players' post-match gesture.

"They've done that off their own bat which doesn't surprise me at all and obviously a show of respect for what Brad's done."

"He's been a great player and still playing very good footy. He's going to cause sides a lot of problems."