Five weeks out from the start of the pre-season games, the AFL competition is set to field 17 and a half teams.

The Court for Administration of Sport has upheld WADA's appeal of the AFL's decision to find 34 past and present Essendon players not guilty of taking banned substances. Twelve current Bombers players and five ex-Bombers (two now with Port Adelaide, one with St Kilda, one with Melbourne, and one with Western Bulldogs) have been handed 2 year bans, with credit for time taken in voluntarily provisional suspension.

Essendon will be able to fill their playing list by drawing on the state competitions, but they'll struggle to be competitive this season.

Carlton now have a rival for the wooden spoon, and those clubs who've drawn Essendon twice in the premiership season can look forward to a bonus 4 points over the other clubs.