The World Anti-Doping Agency's director-general says he will review the "entire" Essendon drugs investigation and has also declared his plans to discuss "all elements" of the affair directly with the Australian government, and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

In a position that will put him at odds with critics of the WADA code – specifically the nuances of how it works in a team setting – David Howman has told Fairfax Media there is no problem with the application of the rules in team sports.

One week before 34 former and current Essendon players are judged innocent or guilty of banned drug use by an AFL anti-doping panel, WADA's director general since 2003 said: "There has been no suggestion from any team sports that they were not catered for appropriately within the rules."

Asked whether he believes the WADA code is better suited to navigating anti-doping issues for individual athletes than it is for team sports, Howman responded with an unequivocal: "No".

"Team sports have always been part of the code and have all partaken in the review processes that led to the introduction of the code," Howman continued.

The director-general's remark about how WADA will review the Essendon case came in response to Fairfax Media's question about the length of time it has taken for the Essendon matter to reach an AFL anti-doping tribunal. It has been more than two years since ASADA – which went on to conduct a contentious joint investigation with the AFL – announced its unprecedented probe.

"We will review the entire investigation when all the cases that have resulted from it have been completed," Howman said. "We will discuss all elements with the Australian government and ASADA."

In confirming that WADA continues to "monitor" the proceedings concerning the AFL and Essendon, Howman – the former boss of New Zealand's national sports drug agency and a barrister who specialises in sports law –said "ASADA would have a right of appeal prior to the exercise of any right that WADA has".

In an average year, there are around 2000 anti-doping decisions in sport globally and WADA has appealed about 40 a year on average. WADA can appeal on behalf of a sport, on behalf of an anti-doping agency, or on behalf of an athlete or athletes. Any appeals, at this stage, must go through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

When the AFL's anti-doping tribunal delivers its verdict on the 34 footballers – some retired, some still playing – and one former Essendon employee on Tuesday, it will specify an appeal window. WADA will have 21 days to launch an appeal after the expiry of that date.

Responding to questions from Fairfax Media on Monday about WADA compliancy, the AFL's Patrick Keane said the league is "100 per cent committed to clean sport. The AFL has no plans to not be WADA compliant".

Asked about any misgivings the AFL has about the WADA code's application in team sports, Keane said: "The AFL has said that there are learnings from the issues arising from the Essendon Football Club. At an appropriate time, the AFL will address them. It is not appropriate while the case is still proceeding."

Keane would not elaborate on reports that the AFL wants to revise elements of its agreement with ASADA when the Essendon case is resolved: "... There are definite learnings from the Essendon Football Club case, but this will be left until after this case is completed," he said.

When similar questions were put to former WADA president and former premier of New South Wales, John Fahey, he said: "In my six years as WADA president I saw no evidence, and received no complaint by any team sport in the world, relating to the code's effectiveness with teams.

"The code is reviewed every six years ... so that process will begin again some time towards the end of 2017, and any team sports should feel free to put their submissions together."

Fahey offered no thoughts on how next week's AFL anti-doping tribunal verdict might play out, or the likelihood of WADA exercising its right to appeal any of the findings.

Fahey has observed keenly – and has at times expressed dismay – how the anti-doping trials of the NRL and AFL have unfolded. Last September, after Essendon and coach James Hird failed in what began as a joint Federal Court action, he said he believed the likelihood of footballers serving longer suspensions for banned drug use has increased due to "certain people with big egos and fat wallets". Well before a Federal Court case into the Essendon saga revealed the political pressure that was applied on ASADA, Fahey also lamented publicly that the agency's former CEO, Aurora Andruska, had been confronted by "bully boys in the system".