The Pinjarra Tigers survived an almighty scare for the second straight week when a late flurry of goals spurred them to what looked an unlikely victory against the Mandurah Mustangs at Rushton Park on Saturday night.
Mandurah looked just about home when a spate of behinds gave them a 14-point lead in the dying stages of the fourth quarter, but the undefeated Tigers refused to take their first loss conjuring a four-goal assault that would lead them to their sixth straight victory 6.14 (50) to 9.7 (61).
Mitch Brown sparked the late scoring storm when he converted from point blank range thanks to some Brett Milward brilliance, and fittingly ended it with the sealer in his first game of the 2019 season.
But it was Mandurah who looked up and about early, with Alex McLeod striking early to give them the day's first.
Mitch White and Lachie Bray were on fire in the Mustangs midfield and constantly drove the ball forward, but missed opportunities hurt the home side all day while the Tigers made the most of their chances to secure a 10-point buffer at the first break.
Their lead was trimmed when McLeod took a mark deep in Mandurah's attacking 50m arch before converting the goal, but some hard work from Jamie McNamara and superb delivery from Robert Bird allowed Nick Merritt to respond for the guests.
Pinjarra appeared in control late in the half but a pair of majors capped off by Blayne Hull trimmed the lead to three and gave the Mustangs plenty of momentum heading into the long break.
The third term was a defensive masterclass as the home side kept the two-time reigning champs goalless (the first time they've gone a quarter without a major this season) while snagging two of their own.
Jay Walton was effective down back while the work of Bray, White and Ivan Lyndon continued further up the ground, helping Matthew Bennell and McLeod both bag goals to give Mandurah a 10-point lead at the final change.
The first 10 minutes of the fourth proved a frustrating patch for the red and white though, as five straight chances for a goal went begging.
Still, the behinds put them ahead 14, forcing Pinjarra to kick what looked an unlikely three goals given their struggles entering the forward 50.
But not only were the flag favourites up to the task, they nailed a fourth to seal the game.
Brown ignited the run before Jed Wheatley and Merritt scored to give the Tigers a four-point lead, and Brown sealed it when he nailed their fourth for the term, capping a five-minute burst that decided the game.
The win keeps the Tigers unbeaten atop the ladder through six games, while Mandurah takes their second straight loss and slips to a 3-3 record.