Chief among the concerns raised by clubs represented at the meeting were whether players signed by Essendon would be forced to play for the Bombers' VFL outfit if not selected to play in the NAB Challenge, or whether they would be able to return to their original clubs.

While it is standard practice at state league level for contracts to be voided in the event a player is recruited by an AFL team, the situation becomes murkier if they were merely going to play for the Essendon VFL team.

Essendon's VFL team may also join its AFL side in receiving players from elsewhere in the VFL.

The scheduled gathering was attended by representatives of the 15 VFL clubs including the Bombers' VFL general manager Matt Little, who one VFL source described as having "the biggest job in football at the moment." AFL Victoria football operations manager John Hook was also present and is set to convey club queries to the AFL. Questions posed by clubs included how VFL player contacts would be affected, whether clubs would be compensated for losing players, and what would transpire in the event a player was injured while temporarily at Essendon?

SANFL clubs also met on Wednesday in Adelaide to discuss what they perceived to be a raid on their players.

The Bombers on Tuesday announced their first batch of former AFL players set to join the club for the NAB Challenge. They will help fill the breach left by the 25 2012-listed players who will not play in the series, 17 of whom remain provisionally suspended until a verdict is announced in the AFL anti-doping tribunal hearing, which ended on Tuesday. The other eight have opted to sit out of the series in order to preserve the anonymity of their teammates.

Sandringham's Clint Jones and Mitch Brown, Port Melbourne's James Magner and SANFL-listed players Jared Petrenko and Mitch Clisby have all committed to playing with the Bombers, who take on St Kilda, GWS and Melbourne during the pre-season series.

Fairfax Media understands Coburg key defender and former Collingwood rookie Michael Hartley has not yet agreed to terms with Essendon, but still remains in the box seat to join the Bombers.

Further complicating matters is the fact Essendon's March 13 match against the Giants falls on the same day as a scheduled VFL trial game against Williamstown.

With the Bombers still tipped to use eight to 10 players from their VFL list in the St Kilda game, the VFL confirmed their side may now be supplemented by Williamstown players to ensure that the game can proceed.

The Bombers are unlikely to make any further announcements surrounding their NAB Challenge squad until later in the week.

Dons' football manager Rob Kerr told SEN radio on Tuesday night that the club was hoping to have its pre-season team finalised by next Monday.