The first game on Sunday for AFL Round 20 is between Essendon Bombers and West Coast Eagles. The match is to be played at Etihad Stadium with the opening bounce set to commence at 1:10pm local time with home team Essendon Bombers currently holding favouritism in the market. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Essendon Bombers and West Coast Eagles.

WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, 1:10pm AEST, Sunday 11 August

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Opening odds comparison:

Essendon Bombers	1.37	1.33	1.33	1.33	1.37	1.36
West Coast Eagles	3.10	3.30	3.30	3.30	3.10	3.07

Preview:

Essendon take on the West Coast on Sunday, 1.10pm at Etihad Stadium. The Bombers might have lost big to Collingwood last round, but will still be expected to win here against the Eagles, a team that beat the Suns by 17 points. Essendon have a lot to play for here, after dropping a ladder position last round to now sit in fifth spot. It was a close contest the last time these two teams met in round 14, and the Bombers will be hoping for a similar result.

Teams:

Essendon Bombers:
B: M.Baguley J.Carlisle M.Hibberd
HB: T.Pears C.Hooker D.Fletcher
C: J.Winderlich J.Watson D.Heppell
HF: A.Davey S.Gumbleton N.Kommer
F: B.Stanton P.Ryder J.Melksham
FOLL: T.Bellchambers H.Hocking K.Hardingham
I/C: D.Hille D.Myers B.Howlett D.Zaharakis L.Jetta T.Colyer B.Goddard
IN: Tayte Pears, Alwyn Davey, David Hille, Ben Howlett, Jason Winderlich
OUT: Courtenay Dempsey (Hamstring) , Cory Dell’Olio (Omitted)

West Coast Eagles:
B: M.Brown D.Glass B.Wilson
HB: S.Butler E.Mackenzie As.Smith
C: A.Gaff S.Wellingham B.Dalziell
HF: J.Cripps JJ.Kennedy J.Hill
F: W.Schofield S.Lycett J.Darling
FOLL: D.Cox S.Selwood B.Sheppard
I/C: A.Embley A.Hams M.Hutchings C.Masten M.LeCras P.McGinnity M.Priddis
IN: Patrick McGinnity, Mark LeCras, Chris Masten, Matt Priddis
OUT: Adam Carter (rested)

AFL’s Bombers prepare for pain to continue

Essendon have expressed frustration that the interim nature of the ASADA report into the AFL club means the Bombers don’t know when their pain will end.

AFL officials are reviewing the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s 400-page findings handed to them last Friday.

The league hopes to determine any sanctions against Essendon before the finals.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou on Wednesday described as “offensive” the suggestion by Essendon great Tim Watson that the AFL had already decided to punish the Bombers.

But new Bombers chairman Paul Little said the fact that ASADA’s evidence had been compiled only into an interim report and the investigation remained ongoing meant that the end was not necessarily in sight.

“From our point of view part of the frustration that is now brought to the table with the interim nature of the report is that we don’t know what other work is required, how long that may take and of course the pain goes on for the club,” Little said.

His comment came in an excerpt from an interview to air on Fox Footy’s The Hangar program on Wednesday night.

The saga has already claimed the Bombers’ former chief executive Ian Robson and chairman David Evans.

And assistant coach Mark Thompson gave another glimpse on Monday night into the toll it’s taking, admitting it had caused internal fighting and had distracted players leading into Sunday’s big loss to Collingwood.

The Bombers received the report on Sunday.

Demetriou returned from the United States on Wednesday and immediately hit out at Watson, father of Bombers captain Jobe, for claiming the AFL had been conditioning the public to expect the club to be stripped of premiership points.

“To suggest that the AFL commission would somehow predetermine an outcome is just offensive and it’s completely wrong,” Demetriou told reporters.

The AFL boss said the league’s general counsel Andrew Dillon would guide the commission through their response to ASADA’s findings.

The commission is scheduled to meet next Monday. Demetriou wouldn’t say whether they might gather earlier to speed up the decision-making process.

He was unsure whether they would reach a resolution before finals begin on September 6.

“We’re hoping (to) with the best intent,” he said.

“I think it would be appropriate if we could, but if we can’t it will be what it will be.”

Fairfax newspapers reported on Wednesday that the ASADA report contains circumstantial evidence that some Essendon players were given banned substances AOD9604 and Thymosin Beta 4 last year under the direction of the club’s former sports scientist Stephen Dank.

But the Bombers’ failure to keep proper records of which players were given particular substances could make it hard to sanction individual players, as opposed to sanctioning the club or its officials, it was reported.

Dank on Wednesday repeated his denials that players took any banned substances during his time at the club.