Melbourne's ability to frustrate their fans reached new heights in a 27-point loss to Richmond at the MCG, the Demons forwards failing to fire as a unit once again.

Much was expected of Simon Goodwin's side this season, but the anticipated rebound from last year's disappointment has not materialised, with Melbourne slipping to 17th on the ladder with a 1-3 record on Sunday.

In an all-too-familiar tale, the Demons had more inside 50s than their opponents, but could not convert those forward forays into a winning score.

"It's frustrating for everyone, frustrating for our supporters, it's frustrating for the coaches, it's frustrating for the players," Goodwin said after the 12.7 (79) to 8.4 (52) defeat.

"But the will and the effort, the want has got to stay and we'll fix the problem.

"We've got five weeks on the road and it's a great opportunity to fix it.

"... We've got a group of forwards who haven't played a lot together. We need to get them functioning.

"We certainly need to win more contests, it's pretty simple."

The win came at a cost for the Tigers, who lost Toby Nankervis (syndesmosis), Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Dion Prestia (syndesmosis) and Tom Lynch (broken finger) to injury.

Adelaide were the other big losers to come out of round five.

The Crows are on track for the club's first-ever wooden spoon after Fremantle prevailed in the battle of the competition's remaining winless teams at Metricon Stadium on Sunday.

Matthew Nicks' men are bottom of the ladder after they slipped to an 0-5 record when the Dockers posted an 8.6 (54) to 4.10 (34) win.

In the final game of round five, Jeremy Finlayson and Harry Himmelberg kicked four goals each as GWS handed Hawthorn a 13.5 (83) to 7.7 (49) defeat at Giants Stadium.

Port Adelaide maintained their spot at the top of the ladder despite Brisbane handing them their first loss of the season.

The Lions kicked five goals in 10 minutes after quarter-time at the Gabba on Saturday night to move into second spot with a 12.13 (85) to 6.12 (48) win.

The Western Bulldogs made it three wins on the trot with a 13.9 (87) to 5.8 (38) victory against North Melbourne, Josh Bruce kicking six goals at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood celebrated their 350th and 300th game milestones with a 13.11 (89) to 8.4 (52) win over Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.

The defeat was further soured for the Suns by the loss of boom youngster Matt Rowell to a shoulder injury.

West Coast scored their first win in four attempts inside their Queensland hub, the Eagles getting their faltering season back on track with an 11.11 (77) to 6.7 (43) win over Sydney at Metricon Stadium.

St Kilda kicked off the round with an 11.7 (73) to 8.7 (55) win over Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night, while Essendon fought off a late charge by Collingwood to score a 10.3 (63) to 7.6 (48) win at the MCG on Friday night.