The Cheats put 206 on the Pirates, and for once the forward line did the damage - Aaron Naughton and Jack Gunston combining for 50 while the Pirates' three forwards mustered a limp 23 between them. A Cheats forward line that actually functions is a novelty: it's Peter Sumich slotting his 111 for the season while the rest of the West Coast side just win the ball and feed him. But keep the Curse Watch candle lit. Second place is a mirage - the Cheats sit there on 12-7, but their percentage is worse than both Corio and the Pirates beneath them. One slip and the tiebreak spits them clean out of the four. Four rounds to go and the finals picture is a scrum. Western Suburbs Walkabout (15-4) have first all but sewn up. The other three spots are a five-team brawl: Cheats and Fitzroy on 12-7, Corio and Pirates on 11-8, Cazzu lurking on 10-9. Fitzroy are the most precarious of the lot, hanging on with the worst percentage of the contenders. South East Suburban Flannie are technically still in, but realistically they've started the whip-round to bail Sam Powell-Pepper out of the watch-house come Mad Monday. A second straight loss - a 48-point hiding from the Walkabout, Sam Berry helping himself to 12 tackles and the 72 points our scoring system insists that is worth - leaves them seventh, two games outside the four with four to play.