essendon (1-2) vs north (0-3) windy hill
dons survive roos scare by 22 points. essendon (2-2) host richmond. north (0-4) play st kilda.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Score | Date / Result | Ground | Crowd | ||
| Essendon | 5.5 | 7.8 | 11.12 | 12.13 | 85 | Sat 23-May-1931 2:45 pm | Windy Hill | 10,000 | |
| North Melbourne | 3.1 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 9.9 | 63 | Essendon won by 22 points | |||
fitzroy (1-2) vs footscray (2-1) brunswick st
bulldogs beat lions by 9 points. footscray (3-1) play melbourne. fitzroy (1-3) play geelong.
| Fitzroy | 2.5 | 7.13 | 8.13 | 10.15 | 75 | Sat 23-May-1931 2:45 pm | Brunswick Street | 14,000 |
| Footscray | 4.2 | 6.4 | 8.9 | 12.12 | 84 | Footscray won by 9 points | ||
geelong (1-2) vs carlton (2-1) corio oval
cats hold off blues by 1 goal. geelong (2-2) host fitzroy. carlton (2-2) host collingwood.
| Geelong | 2.4 | 8.13 | 10.14 | 11.14 | 80 | Sat 23-May-1931 2:45 pm | Corio Oval | 12,500 |
| Carlton | 4.2 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 11.8 | 74 | Geelong won by 6 points | ||
hawthorn (0-3) vs melbourne (2-1) glenferie oval
dees overrun hawks by 15 points. melbourne (3-1) host footscray. hawthorn (0-4) host south.
| Hawthorn | 4.7 | 6.10 | 12.16 | 13.16 | 94 | Sat 23-May-1931 2:45 pm | Glenferrie Oval | 10,000 |
| Melbourne | 2.1 | 9.5 | 10.6 | 16.13 | 109 | Melbourne won by 15 points | ||
richmond (3-0) vs collingwood (3-0) punt rd
tigers beat pies by 4 points. richmond (4-0) play essendon. collnigwood (3-1) play carlton.
| Richmond | 3.1 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.12 | 72 | Sat 23-May-1931 2:45 pm | Punt Road | 40,000 |
| Collingwood | 1.3 | 4.7 | 7.13 | 9.14 | 68 | Richmond won by 4 points | ||
south (1-2) vs st kilda (2-1) lake oval
swans win shootout over saints by 21 points. south (2-2) play hawthorn. st kilda (2-2) host north.
| South Melbourne | 7.5 | 9.11 | 12.12 | 18.19 | 127 | Sat 23-May-1931 2:45 pm | Lake Oval | 18,000 |
| St. Kilda | 6.2 | 9.3 | 13.10 | 16.10 | 106 | South Melbourne won by 21 points | ||
ladder
| Rd 4 Ladder | |||
| RI | 4 | 16 | 189.6 |
| CW | 4 | 12 | 113.8 |
| ME | 4 | 12 | 107.8 |
| FO | 4 | 12 | 96.3 |
| CA | 4 | 8 | 133.0 |
| GE | 4 | 8 | 122.5 |
| SM | 4 | 8 | 108.1 |
| SK | 4 | 8 | 80.8 |
| ES | 4 | 8 | 80.8 |
| FI | 4 | 4 | 94.3 |
| HW | 4 | 0 | 88.0 |
| NM | 4 | 0 | 44.4 |
round 5 matches
carlton v collingwood PP
essendon v richmond WH
geelong v fitzroy CO
melbourne v footscray MCG
hawthorn v south GO
st kilda v north JO