Carlton star Darcy Vescio and Geelong's Meg McDonald have spoken up for the 30 per cent of AFLW players who voted down a proposed collective bargaining agreement after Daisy Pearce took issue with their methods.

Vescio had been rumoured to be one of the leaders of the disgruntled group of players against the CBA and unhappy with the AFL Players' Association.

In the video above: Bitter feud erupts in AFLW dispute

AFLW players and the AFLPA are set to return to the negotiating table after a vote on a CBA for 2020-22 fell five per cent short of the 75 per cent approval rate required to pass.

The 30 per cent who voted 'no' have been concerned at a lack of consultation by the AFLPA, while the proposed length of the season – and the number of weeks per year players are contracted for – are other sticking points.

The 2020 AFLW season still looks likely to go ahead but ongoing talks could delay the beginning of pre-season for the 14 clubs.

Vescio and those in her camp had stayed silent as the workers rights' firm engaged by the group, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, took on the role as spokespeople amid an AFLPA claim that the players had undertaken an "aggressive and damaging" PR campaign.

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But after Melbourne star Pearce questioned the delegate system in place for the negotiations, Vescio and McDonald chose to go public.

"Like any good footy, high-percentage plays are important, but so are the 1%ers (30 is wild)," the Blues player wrote.

"Pushing to get the best possible outcome for all. Diversity of opinion is vital in any decision making and minority voices are essential. I too have 2020 vision (with glasses on)."

Carlton and Geelong are reportedly two of four clubs to have voted strongly against the CBA as others voted strongly in favour or produced a balanced response.

"Diversity doesn’t mean division," McDonald said.

"Diversity of opinion, of people and of experiences – and the expression of that diversity – has been the strongest and most celebrated characteristic of women's footy forever.

"We're talking about the terms of our ongoing inclusion in the premier competition of Australia’s national sport – knowing and exploring our rights should be celebrated."

Without pointing directly to any player but referencing reports that named Vescio among the 'ringleaders', Pearce suggested that particular delegates had an outsized impact on the results.

"I don't know if that sounds accusatory," she said on SEN radio.

"But I believe that the 30 per cent that voted 'no' would have been influenced by the way that that information was delivered to them. That probably sounds accusatory, but I guess it's a fair assumption given the way the data has fell.

"If you look at the way the votes came through ... it sounds like there were a few clubs that were very strongly 'no', and so that was an outlier in that most other clubs only had 'yes' or a mix, whereas some clubs were heavily influenced 'no'."

Pearce, who sat out the 2019 season to give birth to twins but is set to play in 2020, said the next step in negotiations should see the AFLPA set the delegate system aside and speak to more players themselves.

While Vescio and those against the CBA voted it down in part to send a message to the organisation for their approach to communication and consultation, Pearce said she has faith in the AFLPA.

"High-level information like pay and dates and real 'meaty' information goes into a CBA," she said.

"To me, it's about building relationships with different stakeholders and having trust that if the AFL Players' Association tell us that moving forward 'we're going to improve communications in this way and that way because we’ve acknowledged there's some challenges with communicating with part-time girls', I trust that they’ll do that.

"If (AFL and AFLW executives) Gill (McLachlan), Steve Hocking and Nicole Livingstone come and sit before us in one of these meetings and discuss their rationale for why and why not on some of the details on this, I listen and take that information and trust that that’s how it will play out. I don’t need to see it written down, so I don’t need any more information."

- with AAP