TERRIGAL AVOCA marked their return home with a massive 181-point win over Maitland in a Black Diamond Cup round that made the finals picture a little clearer.
Saturday's match was the first the Panthers had played at their home ground Hylton Moore Oval this season and they returned in style.
The Panthers 31.8 (194) kicked an incredible 31 goals on a pristine day with a youthful Maitland 2.1 (13) not able to get a point on the board until the third-quarter.
Harrison Pitt kicked an equal season-high 10 goals with Luke Bury notching four and Mitchell Price three.
The victory kept the Panthers in equal-second place with Cardiff but improved their for and against record.
Competition leaders Killarney Vale 16.8 (104) maintained their eight-point buffer at the top of the table after accounting for Warners Bay 5.4 (34) at Feighan Oval.
"We just got found out," Warners Bay coach Nathan Harkness said. "We got done on the spread, we got done in the contest.
"They were very good Killarney Vale and we got taught a little bit of a footy lesson."
Full-forward Tim Oosterhoff led the way for the Bombers, kicking seven goals. Brandon Lloyd kicked three and Ryan Arthur two.
The Bulldogs were missing half a dozen players but Harkness said it was no excuse for losing by 70 points.
The loss leaves the Bulldogs in a precarious position in the race for the finals.
They are equal on points with Newcastle City but sit fifth on for and against. The two sides could be jockeying for the fourth finals spot given the form of the top three sides. City, who had the bye, also have two games in hand.
"We get a few players back next round and we think the back end of the season should be our best given our draw," Harkness said.
Cardiff 16.8 (104) handed Singleton 7.5 (47) their ninth loss of the season but it was a closer contest at Rose Point Oval than some of the Roosters' previous games.
Singleton and Maitland would appear almost certainties to miss the finals with five and six games left to play respectively.
LADDER: Killarney Vale (32 points), Terrigal Avoca (24), Cardiff (24), Newcastle (16), Warners Bay (16), Maitland (4), Singleton (4).
