Sacked Western Bulldog Jason Akermanis says his former skipper Brad Johnson is selfishly playing injured and should be dropped.

Johnson struggled to make an impact in the Bulldogs' 101-point thrashing by Geelong on Saturday night, compiling just nine possessions and being kept scoreless.

He has played only 11 out of 20 matches this year after being hampered by an Achilles injury.

"I know he's been injured all bloody year, he's been hobbling around," Akermanis said on MTR radio on Monday.

"But you talk about team, don't tell me that it's not being selfish when this guy keeps going out there when he's costing his team, because he clearly can't do anything on defence.

"He's running around, hobbling around at stages ... I know I'm into him, but he was done in the middle of last year.

"I knew it, most of the blokes knew it, but they are keeping him there almost against the better judgement of that football club, as a captain and as a player.

"This guy, why? Are they going to have some nuts? He shouldn't be in the team," he said of the popular 360-game forward.

Brownlow Medallist Akermanis denied his criticism was sour grapes after last month claiming Johnson was one of the key players behind his sacking from the club.

"I'm not talking about Brad Johnson the bloke because he's a wonderful bloke, he's a great guy, I'm talking about the footballer - the footballer's struggling. He shouldn't be in the side."

Akermanis said the fourth-placed Dogs "showed where their underbelly's really at" in Saturday night's crushing loss.

"There's a number of blokes there, they think that tackle is something in a fishing box," he said.

He didn't believe they were any real chance of winning the 2010 flag.

"They'll make the prelim and most likely get rolled."

Asked if his former side could beat the Magpies, Saints or Cats, Akermanis replied: "No, no and no".

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