A battling 85 from wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt has put WA in a commanding position heading into day four of their Bupa Sheffield Shield match with South Australia at the WACA.
On a day in which 15 wickets fell, it was left to 22-year-old Triffitt to rescue WA when their second innings looked in dire straits at 7-52.
Triffitt's late heroics steered his side to a total of 191, setting the Redbacks a victory target of 355 which looked even more daunting when Mitch Marsh dismissed opener Sam Raphael (12) in the penultimate over of the day to leave them at 1-32 at stumps.
Incoming WA coach Justin Langer had spoken of the special technique needed to bat at the WACA during his unveiling at a lunchtime press conference, but his new charges showed they are some way short of mastering that approach during an embarrassing second-innings collapse.
Having dismissed the visitors for 237 within the first hour - in reply to WA's first innings of 9-400 declared - to take first-innings points, the hosts opted not to enforce the follow-on.
WA skipper Adam Voges was left to rue that decision as Chadd Sayers and Joe Mennie tore through the Warriors' top order.
Leading by 163, WA were looking to bat themselves into an unassailable position, but instead found themselves in disarray at 4 for 21 by lunch.
Mennie accounted for openers Liam Davis and Marcus Harris, neither of whom troubled the scorers, while Marcus North fell lbw to Sayers for one, although the former skipper had reason to feel hard done by as the ball looked to be clearing the stumps by some distance.
South Australia skipper Johan Botha's decision to bring himself into the attack then paid dividends as he trapped opposite number Voges in front and Mitch Marsh followed three runs later.
The Warriors made life even more difficult for themselves when Sam Whiteman needlessly took on Callum Ferguson's deadly right arm looking for a sharp single and was run out for 15.
Sayers duly made Nathan Coulter-Nile his third victim to reduce the hosts to 7 for 52, but just as the game seemed to have swung decisively the way of the Redbacks, the WA tail responded with defiance.
Triffitt led the way, backing up the five catches he took during the SA innings by reaching his fourth first-class 50 off just 60 balls, and with Mitchell Johnson providing steadfast support at the other end, the Warriors managed to extend their lead beyond the 280 mark by tea.
Johnson eventually departed for a valuable 38, miscuing an attempted pull off Mennie straight into the hands of Botha.
Triffitt continued to punish the Redbacks and looked on course for a maiden first-class ton before picking out Callum Ferguson in the deep to hand Jake Haberfield his first wicket of the innings.
A sprightly knock of 26 not out from Michael Beer took WA towards the 200 mark and when Marsh struck to dismiss Raphael on the cusp of stumps, the home side found themselves well and truly back in the box seat.
Earlier, South Australia resumed on 6-209 and WA wrapped up the Redbacks' first innings with minimum fuss, only Mennie (18) providing any meaningful resistance for the visitors who lost their last four wickets for just 28 runs.
Mitchell Johnson, Michael Beer and Michael Hogan each picked up their second scalps of the innings, while Nathan Coulter-Nile also chipped in to end with figures of 1-42 from 17 overs, which did little to reflect just how much he troubled the SA batsmen.
First Posted 14 November, 2012 9:50PM AEST
