CURRENT and former Essendon players launched their defence at the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal on Tuesday in their case against the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

The hearing, which is being held behind closed doors at the Victorian County Court, resumed after six days of opening submissions from ASADA.

The Tribunal moved to hear opening submissions from Neil Clelland QC on behalf of two former Essendon players on Tuesday.

The remaining 32 current and former Bombers were then represented by David Grace QC.

The Tribunal also heard submissions on the admissibility of certain evidence to be considered by the Tribunal.

ASADA finished its opening submissions last Wednesday, alleging the 34 players and one support person, no longer employed by Essendon, breached the AFL Anti-Doping Code through the use of the banned peptide Thymosin Beta-4.

In December, ASADA lost a legal battle to have two of its key witnesses, biochemist Shane Charter and compound pharmacist Nima Alavi, testify at the hearing.
 
Charter and Alavi have given evidence to ASADA but refused to sign sworn affidavits backing the authority's allegations that the players were administered the banned drug Thymosin Beta-4 as part of Essendon's 2012 supplements program.
 
When Holmes concludes his submission, lawyers for the players will argue the players were given a legal version of thymosin, thymosin alpha-1 or thymodulin.

The hearing is being held in private after a ruling by Tribunal chairman David Jones on December 8 last year.