Pinjarra bounce back as 'total team effort' leads to victory over Centrals

The Tigers came blasting out of the blocks in the wake of their loss to Rockingham the week before, piling up the first seven goals of the day to set the tone for a whopping 5.5 (35) to 14.11 (95) victory.

Nick Merritt was on fire in front of goal finishing the day with five, while Robert Bird continued his outstanding recent form with best afield votes for the Tigers.

The first quarter shock proved too much for Centrals to recover from in the grand final rematch, as Pinjarra scored more in the opening term than the Blues did the entire match.

The returns of Jaidon Kearing and David Yaccob during Peel Thunder's bye week served as handy additions for a Tigers line-up that made a bundle of changes since the Rockingham game, as the two helped the visiting side establish a 38-point lead after keeping Centrals scoreless in the first term.

But the Blues did manage to find some rhythm in the second, as they piled up four goals.

Pinjarra's run of the game's first seven majors came to an end when Michael Somerville slotted the home side's first.

Grant Dunn was able to follow on with two goals of his own, and the lead was down to just 21 points after Chase Garlett capped a purple patch for the hosts.

But Pinjarra nailed the next three goals to round out the half and restore their lead to 41 points at the main break.

It was tough going for the Blues from there, with a stout Tigers backline marshaled by Jarrod Bowman and Brock O'Brien allowing them just one goal for the entire second half, despite some stellar efforts from Jacob Martinez.

Pinjarra was eventually able to cruise to a 10-goal win, putting them into equal top spot as they share an 11-3 record with both Baldivis and Rockingham.

Tigers coach Troy Vidovich said he was "over the moon" with the performance put forth by his side.

"I was really happy with how the side, the young guys in particular, dug in and gave a full four quarters," he said.

"I actually thought the loss to Rockingham was the kick up the bum we needed to get going, and this week we got a total team effort and it showed in the results."

After all but assuring themselves a top-three finish, Vidovich's Tigers will now look to the final four weeks of the regular season to gain form ahead of finals.

"I think it's an important stretch coming up," the coach said.

"This is where you try to get your full side back on the park so we're hoping a few names can come back in the coming weeks and we can get some real momentum going ahead of finals."

Pinjarra squares off against Waroona this coming weekend, while Centrals look to bounce back against Mandurah.