Essendon has vowed to clear its name of doping claims in sport's highest court, as the club's supplements saga falls beyond AFL boundaries for the first time.
Coach James Hird says WADA's appeal threatens to derail the Bombers' season - their third with the doping case hanging over the club - but remains defiant.
"They have been proven innocent once. And they will be proven innocent again," Hird told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could take six months to decide WADA's appeal to the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal verdict clearing 34 past and present Essendon players of taking banned substances.
The AFL now has no control over the case. CAS, world sport's over-riding court, can accept any fresh evidence.
"We're not a party to the proceedings," AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan told reporters in Melbourne.
"I think we have 'standing', which means our lawyers can be in the room.
"But this is something between the Essendon playing group and WADA in a different jurisdiction."
As the AFL Players' Association expressed disappointment for the ongoing stress on the 34 players, Hird said they would again fight for their name.
"They believe they've done nothing wrong," he said.
"They believe they haven't taken anything illegal.
"We believe that, the AFL tribunal believes that.
"Everyone who's read that decision is pretty adamant that it's a very thorough decision, it was a comprehensive not guilty and the players are innocent."
WADA's director general David Howman said in a statement "after a thorough examination of the evidence contained within the file, WADA has decided to lodge its independent right of appeal".
The Australian Anti-Doping Sports Authority, which opted not to appeal the AFL tribunal finding, is aiding the world governing body.
"ASADA has handed over a comprehensive brief of evidence to assist WADA in its preparation for the CAS hearing," ASADA chief executive officer Ben McDevitt said in a statement.
Hird said the Bombers had no choice but to deal with WADA taking the case to the world court.
"The players will respect the process. The club will respect the process and we'll go through it again," he said.
The AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal on March cleared 34 players on Essendon's list in 2012 of using the banned peptide Thymosin beta-4 during the season.
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