Essendon captain Jobe Watson admits there is anxiety at the AFL club ahead of Tuesday's landmark AFL anti-doping tribunal verdicts.
Watson is understood to be among 34 current and past Bombers players who are charged with doping offences related to the long-running Essendon supplements scandal.
The impending verdicts overshadowed Wednesday's annual media call of the 18 club captains and the AFL season launch.
"There's a date set - whether or not that's relieving or not, it does put something on the calendar for you," Watson said.
"But I'd say there's an element and a fair degree of anxiety.
"It's a significant decision and it's going to impact the football club."
He said everyone at the club was feeling the nerves, whether they had been there for a short time or since the saga started more than two years ago.
"My mood has peaked and troughed throughout it," Watson said.
"There have been different time where it's been more difficult to deal with and other times where you can focus on football.
"Certainly when there's a date set, that's been a difficult period for the players."
Whatever Tuesday's verdicts, it appears certain there will be appeals and also ongoing legal action relating to the 2012 supplements program at Essendon.
A former player has initiated Supreme Court action against the AFL and the club.
"It's not really something that I've thought about, how long it's going to extend," Watson said.
"I'm more focussing on what we can control and at the moment, we can't control anything.
"We're just waiting."
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