The joint AFL-ASADA Essendon investigation that survived two Federal Court challenges also has the backing of an internal review.

More than three years after it was first flagged, the league’s review of how it handled the Essendon supplements debacle is now reportedly with the 18 clubs.

The Australian has published details of the findings, with the review endorsing the league’s joint investigation with the national anti-doping body.

Essendon and James Hird lost a Federal Court challenge over the legality of the AFL-ASADA investigation.

Hird then broke ranks with the club and lost a Federal Court appeal against the original verdict.

The review will do little to appease fierce critics of how the AFL handled the Essendon crisis, the biggest scandal in Australian sporting history.

The joint investigation was one of the most controversial elements of the four-year saga.

Essendon announced they were coming under AFL-ASADA investigation in February 2013.

That August, the league hit Essendon with the harshest penalties in the game’s history.

Essendon were kicked out of the finals, fined $2 million and docked draft picks, while Hird was banned for 12 months.

As flagged by current chief executive Gillon McLachlan, the internal review also recommends stricter guidelines for top AFL officials in the event of another investigation.

The chief executive would stand down from the commission and would help run the investigation.

It would then be the commission’s role to rule on any sanctions.

Essendon’s season-opening win over Hawthorn last Saturday night was an emotional and symbolic milestone as the club moves on from the scandal.

That team featured six of the players who have returned from the doping bans that stemmed from the debacle.