COLLINGWOOD midfielder Adam Treloar says some "tough love" is needed to turn things around, but argues that the Magpies' growing injury list has in part contributed to their form slump.

The 14th-placed Magpies suffered their fifth defeat of the season after losing to arch rival Carlton by 15 points at the MCG on Saturday, handing them their worst start to a campaign since 2005.

Treloar said the Pies were heavily reliant on experienced players such as captain Scott Pendlebury and vice-captain Steele Sidebottom, adding that the club had used 36 players so far this season due to mounting injuries and individual form.

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"We don't have everyone playing their role and we need people out there doing that because we're not going to get the job done if we don't," Treloar told Channel Seven on Sunday.

"And you can't have the same people standing up and relying on the same people like 'Pendles' and 'Sidey' like that.

"It's just a bit of tough love (that's needed)."

Treloar, who joined Collingwood in last year's NAB AFL Trade Period from GWS, said each player would need to employ a more team-oriented approach and stick to coach Nathan Buckley's game-plan for longer periods.

"When stuff starts to hit the fan you start to really think, 'How am I going?', where you should come out of yourself and express yourself, and try and make your teammates better," Treloar said.

"And we find that not everyone is doing that consistently, which is really what is letting us down at the end of the day.

"Even last week against West Coast, in the second and third quarters we executed what we wanted to do … and then (in) the last quarter we fell off and that came back to not executing what we planned all week, and that's exactly what happened yesterday."

The loss to Carlton was compounded by injuries to Tim Broomhead and Ben Reid.

Broomhead went off in the third quarter with an ankle injury, while Reid injured the AC joint in his left shoulder after colliding with Blue Levi Casboult's head/shoulder in the third term.

Meanwhile, axed defender Nathan Brown suffered a suspected hamstring injury in the third quarter of the VFL match against Sandringham on Saturday, while out-of-form forward Travis Cloke pulled out of that match with a back complaint.

Collingwood takes on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba next Saturday night.

The game will mark Buckley's 100th game as the Magpies' senior coach.