Ryder has said he has been let down by Essendon through the supplements scandal and wants to be traded to Port Adelaide, but the Power and Bombers have been unable to strike a deal.

One option for him is to take his case to the grievance tribunal, where he would argue the Bombers failed in their duty of care to him during their 2012 injecting program.

Ryder is only two years into a four-year deal with Essendon, having re-signed midway through 2012. However, that he continued to play with the club last season, despite the fears he and his family held over the health of their unborn son as a result of the injecting program, could make his case tougher to prosecute.

One law firm which deals in employment contracts said: "Employment lawyers and the AFLPA have suggested that Essendon's failure to provide a safe workplace for their players during the supplements program would allow their players to terminate their playing contracts.

"Most people accept that Essendon either 'breached' or 'repudiated' its employment contract with Ryder because of the supplements program in 2012.

"However, a repudiation or serious breach does not automatically terminate an employment contract. What a repudiation or serious breach does is create a right in the innocent party, in this case Ryder, to either choose (or elect) to terminate the contract or to continue to perform (or affirm) the contract.

"When an employee chooses to continue to perform the contract for a significant length of time, in most cases, he or she abandons the right to terminate.

"The decision by an employee to continue to perform, or affirm, a contract is final and binding.

"This is especially so when the breach is a one-off breach, rather than a continuing breach. So, by continuing to play and accept wages for two seasons after the supplements program concluded, Ryder has most probably affirmed his contract and, therefore, lost his right to terminate his contract."

If the impasse heads to the tribunal and Ryder is successful, he could yet join the Power as a free agent, with the Bombers receiving no compensation.

Ryder, one of 34 players given an initial show-cause notice, has said he lost faith and trust in the Bombers as the saga unfolded and had been told it would end in August last year. That was the timetable to which former Essendon chairman David Evans had been working.

However, the saga continues, with the next stage to be the re-issuing of show-cause notices, alleging the use of the banned peptide thymosin beta-4.

The 21-day period Essendon coach James Hird and the Bombers had to appeal last month's Federal Court decision - that the probe by the AFL and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority was lawful - expired on Friday, meaning show-cause notices could be delivered within days.

While Hird has said he does not want his Federal Court appeal to halt the show-cause process, with players keen for it to begin as soon as possible, close observers of ASADA believe it could yet be best to wait until the appeal is completed. Hird's one-day hearing will be held on November 10.

Once show-cause notices are distributed players will have 10 days to respond - although ASADA can vary this period - before players are put on the register of findings.

This next stage could continue for some time but it has been noted that the process of show-cause notices, infraction notices and a deal involving suspensions in the case against the NRL's Cronulla Sharks was done within 36 hours.

Stewart Crameri, now with the Western Bulldogs, and Brent Prismall, now with the Bulldogs' VFL side, are the only players - so far - to be represented outside of the lawyers employed by the AFL Players Association. The pair will be represented by Victorian criminal lawyer Rob Stary.