Collingwood has surged to the top of the AFL ladder with impressive firepower and five straight wins, but will find out on Saturday whether it deserves its lofty status.

That is when it will venture to Subiaco to meet West Coast, the club that was on top before this weekend, and which will provide the biggest test of the Magpies' credentials since they lost to Adelaide in round one.

There is no disputing the Magpies have been in fine form in the past five rounds and are looking the most threatening of any of the Victorian clubs.

In a season notable for the high number of close contests, Collingwood has made a habit of belting its opposition, with an average winning margin of almost 50 points.

In all five of its wins it has booted 100-plus scores, to be the league's highest-scoring side, regularly blowing opponents away in the second half, as it did in a 72-point win over Carlton at the MCG.

While that record is impressive, none of the defeated opponents - Hawthorn, the Kangaroos, Essendon, Port Adelaide and the Blues - are expected to be major players come finals time.

The Hawks are the only one of those five clubs currently in the top eight.

The Eagles will provide a much better indication of how far Collingwood has progressed since being downed by the Crows by 34 points in the opening round.

Adelaide sits second on the ladder, with West Coast third, both trailing the Magpies by percentage.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said top place on the ladder was not worth much after six rounds.

"What relevance is it? Let me tell you - none. Not one bit of relevance," Malthouse said.

"It's round six - it's like asking me about halftime. What relevance is halftime? If the final siren goes and you're in front, you've won the game.

"If by round 22 you're in the eight, you're in the eight.

"It is better to be where we are now than where we were last year ... but it doesn't get you into the eight."

At the other end of the table is Brisbane, which suffered its fourth straight defeat, a 32-point loss to Sydney at the Gabba.

Adding to the Lions' gloom, outspoken forward Jason Akermanis was reported for a left jab delivered to Jared Crouch behind the play, just one episode of an undisciplined game by the high-profile Lion.

Defender Chris Johnson also went into the book, for an alleged strike on Sydney's Tadhg Kennelly.

The Swans' win put the reigning premiers' season back on track, taking them to a 3-3 record and into the eight for the first time, after they had lost three of their first four games.

The Kangaroos eased the pressure on themselves and coach Dean Laidley, with a fighting 22-point victory over in-form Hawthorn.

Full-forward Nathan Thompson kicked eight goals in a match-winning performance, a superb response to the flood of criticism he attracted for taking himself from the ground in last weekend's narrow loss to Melbourne.

It was a gutsy performance by the `Roos, after trailing for much of the day.

But it could come at a cost, with veteran defender Glenn Archer almost certain to be reported for a right-handed swipe at Jordan Lewis behind the play.

In other results this round, Fremantle demonstrated it might provide a more substantial threat than in previous seasons, following up last weekend's drawn-out win over St Kilda with a thrilling victory over West Coast.

Adelaide continued its recent dominance over Port Adelaide with a big win in the South Australian Showdown.

Melbourne beat Geelong on Friday night, Richmond scraped home against Essendon on Saturday night and St Kilda defeated the Western Bulldogs.

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