Box Hill Hawk Callum Brown VFL (Image via Box Hill Twitter)

Three undefeated sides sit atop the VFL ladder after five rounds, with Brisbane holding a four-point gap over Box Hill and Gold Coast - who have both had a bye to start their 2023 campaigns.

Casey recorded their first loss of the season thanks to Richmond, despite a Demons midfielder collecting 48 touches and two goals in Round 5.

A Hawks midfielder is continuing his push for a potential AFL lifeline, while a Suns forward is sure to be near an AFL debut.

Here's a quick wrap-up for Round 5 of the VFL season.

GWS vs Brisbane (74 - 157)

Ladder leaders Brisbane strengthened their place at the summit of the VFL with an 83-point win over GWS, with forward Tom Fullarton containing his strong run of form in front of goal with a haul of five majors.

Fullarton now has 13 goals from his past four appearances at VFL level, combing with VFL-listed forward Wylie Buzza to place pressure on Chris Fagan for selection, despite the Lions' flourishing front third in the top flight.

Rhys Mathieson (33 disposals, seven clearances) and Noah Answerth (27 disposals, two goals) continued their strong season starts, while James Tunstill chipped in with a career-high 32 touches.

Rhys Mathieson during the round 22 AFL match between St Kilda and Brisbane on August 12, 2022 (Photo by Cameron Grimes / Zero Digital Media)

GWS spearhead Jake Riccardi booted four goals to lead the way for the Giants, while fellow forward Wade Derksen led his side for disposals with 24 as he helped out in the ruck battle.

Footscray vs Southport (76 - 102)

Southport notched up their second win of the year thanks to a strong second half at ETU Stadium, blowing past the Bulldogs thanks to their senior figures through midfield.

Jacob Dawson continued his stellar run in the VFL with 37 possessions and six tackles against Footscray, while Boyd Woodcock booted two majors and collected 32 disposals.

Woodcock, Matt Shannon, Jay Lockhart, Tom Fields, Jackson Edwards and Ryan Banks-Smith all booted two majors each as the Sharks voted nine second-half goals to the Dosg' four.

Luke Goater led the scoring for Footscray with three goals, while Lachie Sullivan was again the Dogs; best ball-winner with 28 possessions in the defeat.

Bulldogs fans got their first look at Category B recruit James O'Donnell, who showed glimpses of poise and balance with a strong first two terms.

Box Hill vs Coburg (124 - 53)

Box Hill remain undefeated and will carry a league-high percentage of 192.2% into Round 6 of the season following their 71-point win over Coburg.

Former Collingwood midfielder Callum Brown continued to push his case for a potential AFL recall, collecting 33 possessions in the win - with his average now set at 32.8 for the year.

Lachie Bramble pressed his case for a potential return to Sam Mitchell's side with a game-high 37 touches, while first-year pair Josh Weddle and Jack O'Sullivan recorded 27 disposals each.

Jacob Koschitzke managed three goals for the Hawks as he looks to re-find some form at the state league level, while fellow AFL-listed forwards Max Ramsden and Sam Butler booted two goals apiece. Jaylon Thorpe led the way for Box Hill with a quartet of major from his nine touches.

Box Hill Hawk Callum Brown (Image via Box Hill Twitter)

Ben Jepson and Flynn Gentile were again standouts for Coburg in what was another difficult evening for the standalone club.

Carlton vs Sandringham (71 - 68)

The Blues snatched defeat from the Zebras after trailing by eight points at the final break, managing to stave off a late Sandringham run to notch up their third win of the year.

Paddy Dow's dominant season continued, with the fringe Carlton midfielder collecting a season-high 40 possessions in the win, gaining plenty of support from Jack Carroll (37 possessions, one goal) and Lache Fogarty (28 possessions).

Wingman Jaxon Binns was another to add to a strong start to the year through the win at Princes Park, while defender Jordan Boyd managed a successful return from a foot injury.

The Blues managed to claim victory despite being undermanned at their key position points, with Tom De Koning managed at both levels for the Blues, while third-string ruckman Alex Mirkov was joined by Harry Lemmey and Sam Durdin in being removed from the side.

St Kilda's Jack Billings booted two goals from 22 disposals in his return from a leg fracture sustained in the pre-season, while Jack Bytel led the way for the Zebras with 39 touches.

Youngster Jack Peris impressed with his forward craft in the front third for Sandringham.

Collingwood vs Essendon (97 - 89)

A stellar come-from-behind win saw the Magpies move into the top eight, with seven unanswered goals tallied across either side of the three-quarter time break seeing Collingwood run home victors.

Josh Carmichael was a standout for the Pies, booting three goals from a game-high 33 touches in the Round 5 win, while veteran midfielder Tom Wilson was also a key presence through the middle.

Reef McInnes and Sam Glover joined Carmichael in booting three goals each, while Cooper Murley had his breakout game with two goals from 14 disposals.

Essendon VFL-listed forward Joh Jorgensen booted five majors in the loss, while Quinton Narkle was again impressive through the Bombers' midfield.

Nick Bryan (18 disposals, 45 hit-outs) was arguably Essendon standout through an AFL-list lens.

Northern Bullants vs Sydney Swans (93 - 66)

The Bullants recorded their first in over a year, holding off a battled Sydney outfit to chalk up with maiden victory under Brodie Holland.

Brandon Ryan, the cousin of Fremantle defender Luke Ryan, booted five goals and recorded 17 possessions to help steer his side to victory at Preston City Oval, while Will Sexton and Jean-Luv Velissaris also managed multiple goals.

Velissaris also had a team-high 32 touches, while Baker Smith and Spence Johnson were also among the Bullants' best.

Second-year Swan Angus Sheldrick sent a nice reminder to Sydney selectors with 39 possessions and two goals in the loss, while Corey Warner responded after being dropped following an AFL debut with 23 possessions.

Gold Coast vs North Melbourne (136 - 80)

The Suns remain undefeated and in fine form through the opening five rounds, with their latest victory coming in the form of a 56-point win over North Melbourne's VFL outfit.

Pre-season pick-up Brodie McLaughlin won't be far from an AFL debut after his four-goal haul, with the former Frankston forward's season tally now set at 15 goals from four games.

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Alex Sexton booted a game-high five goals in the win, while James Tsitas (three goals), Joel Jeffrey (two) and Oskar Faulkhead (two) also chimed in with multiple majors.

Rory Atkins led all ball-winners with 32 possessions, while Jeremy Sharp, Alex Davies and Charlie Constable also found plenty of the ball.

Roo Hugh Greenwood was a one-man marching band through the midfield on his way to recording a staggering 15 clearances to tally 27 disposals and 10 tackles for the day.

Rookie North Melbourne midfielder George Wardlaw collected 23 disposals of his own in a strong return after being managed.

Casey vs Richmond (82 - 94)

Richmond handed Casey their first loss of the year, recording a two-goal win over the reigning premiers on their own home turf.

Jack Ross was a standout for the Tigers with 31 possessions and two goals, with forward pair Joel Nathan and Brad Melville the only Richmond players to better his goal tally - booting three each.

Demons midfielder Luke Dunstan fell two touches shy of the 50-disposal mark, with the former Saint also booting two goals and having 12 clearances and 12 marks in a dominant display, albeit in defeat.

Premiership Demon James Harmes also had a strong performance in the loss with three goals from 36 disposals.

Luke Dunstan during Melbourne's open training session at Gosch's Paddock, Melbourne in 2022 (Photo by Cameron Grimes/Zero Digital Sports)

Dropped forward Tom McDonald managed 15 touches and 1.3 in front of goal, with Casey lacking the presence of in-form forward Josh Schache.

Werribee vs Williamstown (154 - 61)

Werribee posted a huge win over the Seagulls on Sunday, with a six-goal haul from Hudson Garoni leading the Tigers to their second win.

Connor Thar (four goals), Shaun Mannagh (three), Nick Hayes (three), Sam Paea (two) and Kye Declase (two) also booted multiple goals in the 93-point win.

Reliable onballer Tom Gribble collected 30 touches and 11 clearances, combining with Dominic Brew (25 possessions, 10 clearances, 11 tackles) through the middle.

A James Cousins-less Williamstown outfit looked out of touch against the Tigers to record their second loss from five games, with Marty Hore (21 disposals, nine marks) and Jake Greiser (22 touches) standouts for the Seagulls.

Frankston vs Port Melbourne (89 - 104)

Monday night football came to Frankston to conclude Round, with Port Melbourne ruining the party on their way to a 15-point victory.

Archi Manton's goal tally jumped to 13 for the season after booting five against the Dolphins, while Josh Green and Kyle Borg both booted two goals in the win.

Tom Cameron led the Borough among their ball-winners with 21, while it was Frankston who dominated the disposal count 335-293.

Ryley Stoddart had 37 touches, accompanying Seb Quirk (24 possessions), Connor Riley (24) and Kai Owens (23) among Frankston's best.

Matt Johnson booted four goals in the loss, while Josh Butland chimed in with three of his own.