Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley will miss the first four rounds of the AFL season – even if he is cleared of doping.

Crowley will front the AFL’s Anti-Doping Tribunal on May 1 after he tested positive to a banned match-day substance last July.

The 31-year-old has been provisionally suspended since last September, and the May 1 date of his hearing means he’ll miss games against Port Adelaide, Geelong, West Coast, and Sydney at the very least.

The AFL has come under fire for its lengthy delay in holding Crowley’s hearing, with the Essendon supplements scandal creating a logjam of work for the league.

The competition’s Anti-Doping Tribunal will hand down its findings on the Essendon saga next Tuesday.

A total of 34 past and present Bombers players have been caught up in the supplements scandal, which was first made public in February, 2013.

Crowley, who believes a pain-killer was responsible for his positive test, faces a ban of up to two years if found guilty.

Anything more than a six-month ban is likely to spell the end of Crowley’s 188-game career.

Crowley’s privately-appointed legal team has until April 17 to lodge written submissions for the tribunal hearing.

The AFL must lodge its submissions by April 21, and ASADA’s final reply is due April 24.

The tribunal panel will consist of chairman David Jones, John Nixon and Dr Susan White.

Meanwhile, the AFL has fined GWS $10,000 for an embarrassing anti-doping blunder.

The Giants were left red-faced after they failed to keep ASADA properly briefed on players’ addresses.

Under the anti-doping code, players can be tested throughout the year, and the whereabouts provision is a critical feature of the testing regime.

GWS football operations manager Graeme Allan said the club took responsibility for the mistake.

“We acknowledge that a basic administrative error has resulted in player addresses not being communicated properly,” Allan said.

TIMELINE FOR RYAN CROWLEY’S DOPING CASE

*ASADA written submissions due by 2 April, 2015

*Player written submissions due by 17 April, 2015

*AFL written submissions due by 21 April,l 2015

*ASADA written submissions in reply due by 24 April, 2015

*Hearing on 1 May, 2015