The Western Bulldogs appear set to withdraw Stewart Crameri from their opening NAB Challenge matches as the Essendon supplements scandal plays havoc with the AFL pre-season.

Confusion surrounds Essendon’s opening two Challenge games, given a large group of their players will most likely sit out those matches while they await their fate at the AFL anti-doping tribunal.

Angus Monfries and Paddy Ryder have also reportedly pulled out of Port Adelaide’s opening pre-season matches.

The problem is if they play in the pre-season and the tribunal then finds them guilty of anti-doping offences, that will have a massive bearing on their penalty.

Should they receive backdated penalties, which is possible, those would start from their most recent game.

So a six-month ban would effectively rub out a player for this season if he took part in the pre-season.

But if he waits until the tribunal verdict and is then found guilty, a six-month ban would not cost him any regular season matches.

“It’s a really sad state of affairs as far as I’m concerned,” new Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge told the AFL website.

“The players haven’t done anything wrong, so they would rather be playing than not playing.

“But the way the decision might go, and the penalty that might be handed down, and the duration they might be out for, there’s a consideration around whether (withdrawing) is the right thing to do.

“We understand that the Port Adelaide boys aren’t going to play and we found out last night the Essendon boys aren’t going to play.”

The Bulldogs will meet with Crameri on Thursday.

The tribunal, which is a closed hearing, will sit again on February 16.

It is considering charges against 34 current and former Essendon players and at least half of those are understood to still be on the Bombers’ list.

Crameri, Ryder and Monfries are clearly among the ex-Essendon players facing charges.

The NAB Challenge starts on February 26, with the `Dogs hosting Richmond at Whitten Oval on February 28.

The biggest immediate issue is Essendon’s first Challenge game against St Kilda in country Morwell on March 7.

The AFL and Essendon are currently negotiating over whether the club fields a team for the Morwell game and, if the game goes ahead, which top-up players the Bombers would use.

Each club will have three pre-season games, with the Bombers also scheduled to play GWS on March 13 in Sydney.

The third round starts on March 19 and the expectation is the charged players will know their fate by then.