While the AFL limelight is on Brad Johnson and his outstanding milestone, Chris Mayne will reach his own personal landmark at Etihad Stadium.

Mayne, 20, will finally play his first senior game of 2009 on Saturday when Fremantle try to spoil the occasion for Johnson and the Western Bulldogs.

It will be Johnson's 342nd AFL match, taking him past Chris Grant for the Bulldogs games record.

There are big wraps on Mayne at the Dockers after last year's impressive debut season, when he played 17 games.

The small forward has endured rotten luck with leg injuries this year.

It is a mark of how highly he is rated at Fremantle that they have promoted Mayne despite no games in the WAFL seniors.

He had to play a third reserves match last weekend because his club Perth had the bye.

Dockers assistant coach Dean Wallis paid Mayne a massive compliment on Friday, comparing him to St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt in terms of his approach to playing.

Wallis, a hard-nut defender in his AFL career at Essendon, also loves Mayne because of his fearless "crash and bash" playing style.

"He really gets his head into footy and for a kid his age, you don't see that, the way he goes about it," said Wallis, who worked with Riewoldt while a Saints assistant coach.

"The last bloke I was involved with was Nick Riewoldt, the way he analysed the opposition and his own performance - I see little traits of that.

"He has a great competitive nature about him, which I love as well."

Wallis is confident the lack of senior WA football would not be a problem for Mayne.

"Fitness won't be an issue for him, you'll see him crashing and bashing - he might run out of puff towards the end, but you expect that for a young kid who's only come off three games," Wallis said.

"He'll give everything."

Des Headland will also return for the Dockers and they have promoted Michael Walters for his third senior match.

Apart from Johnson's milestone, the Bulldogs must win to stay in the top four.

They will start overwhelming favourites and the Dockers have lost their last seven games at Etihad Stadium, dating back to round 17, 2006.

In their last away game, Fremantle shamefully managed only one goal in round 15 against Adelaide.

But Wallis remembers how Essendon started badly in the 1997 retirement match for Mark Harvey, now the Dockers coach.

While the Bombers eventually beat Adelaide, Wallis thinks the Dockers might be able to exploit the occasion.

"It was a massive day, but you do get overawed and emotions to take over," Wallis said.

"We got off to a shocking start and if we didn't get our act together, we wouldn't have got across the line.

"So hopefully the Bulldogs will be in the same sort of situation - we have a good start and can hang on, who knows?"

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