THE AFL has no idea when a verdict in the appeal against the 12-month bans handed down to the Essendon 34 will be reached.

The AFL Players' Association directed Swiss lawyers to appeal the legality of the hearing held in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February this year.

In March 2015, the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal had found the players not guilty but CAS overturned that verdict in January, handing down effective 12-month bans to all 34 players found to be involved.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan told 3AW on Saturday he did not know when a conclusion would be reached.

"I don't know, I wish we did. We've got no visibility – our lawyers don't (know). We may wake up on Monday with a decision or it might not be until Christmas," McLachlan said.

"It's incredibly frustrating, as you can imagine.

"It's a process that is really challenging clearly for the players, for Essendon, for our whole competition. It's just not ideal."

The fate of Jobe Watson's 2012 Brownlow Medal, won in the season that resulted in the Essendon 34 receiving, will remain in limbo until after the appeal verdict lands and McLachlan said nothing had been predetermined.

"What I've said is that I would step down from the Commission and lead effectively the prosecution and lead the recommendation that went to the Commission and then they would make a decision and he would be represented and have a view, whichever way it goes," he said.

"We'll just have to wait and see. It's not appropriate to make a comment beyond that."

On the issue of compensation being paid to ANZ Stadium if a final is moved from that ground to the SCG, McLachlan said no money would change hands if it so happened that the Swans did not end up hosting a final at the SCG.

That scenario would require the Swans to lose to Richmond, and thus finishing third or fourth.

"The compensation wouldn't be paid, because there was an allocation of seats to the ANZ Stadium members which was going to occur," he said.