Western Bulldogs star Adam Cooney is back to his Brownlow best, says former great Brad Johnson Western Bulldogs star Adam Cooney has enjoyed a strong pre-season. WESTERN Bulldogs great Brad Johnson says Adam Cooney is back to his 2008 Brownlow Medal form. Cooney has endured a miserable few years, with a cracked patella deteriorating into a degenerative knee problem. But Johnson said Cooney had returned from specialist treatment in Germany a changed man. He used to hobble out to even start training. Now he runs out, he's straight into it and away he goes," Johnson said yesterday. He's moving the best I've seen him move for three or four years. Cooney's return to form would be a boost for the Dogs. "They need an Adam Cooney in there to get that pace going around the contest and help generate that outside run that they do lack," Johnson said. They've got a lot of guys that love winning the contested footy, but they need to retain possession when it gets on the outside. They need more there because the opposition will just look at them and say: 'Let's stop Ryan Griffen and we've got the Bulldogs' at the moment. Cooney is one who needs to get back in there to allow Griffen to get off the chain every now and then and have more of an impact getting forward.