Spinner Corey Rocchiccioli wrecked Victoria's resistance with two strikes in the shadows of stumps to put WA well on top after day three
Match Report:
ScorecardWA close in on Shield victory over Victoria
Western Australia are seven wickets away from starting their Marsh Sheffield Shield title defence with an outright victory after their batters, then spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, put Victoria to the sword on day three at the WACA Ground.
WA posted 481 in response to Victoria's 256, then had the visitors teetering at 3-64 in their second innings at stumps on Friday, Rocchiccioli striking twice in the final half-hour.
Will Pucovski, who made a solid 39 for the Vics on day one - his first Shield knock in almost a year following concussion and mental health issues - finished his comeback match with a second-ball duck, feathering an Aaron Hardie peach to Cameron Bancroft at second slip.
The score should have been 2-0 when Campbell Kellaway was dropped by Teague Wyllie at midwicket.
Travis Dean, Victoria's first-innings topscorer, was tied down by Rocchicciolli before falling to the tweaker for 22, squirting a catch to Bancroft at short leg.
Then with the final ball of the day, Rocchicciolli drew an edge from Kellaway (33) which was smartly pouched by wicketkeeper Josh Philippe.
Earlier, centurion Bancroft added only one to his overnight tally before the Test opener-in-waiting was trapped lbw by Scott Boland for 122.
Jayden Goodwin, the nephew of former Zimbabwe and WA star Murray Goodwin, chalked up his maiden first-class half-century en route to a composed 63.
He and Hardie (48) added 88 for the fourth wicket before both succumbed to catches behind the wicket off Victoria captain Will Sutherland.
The visitors upped the tempo after lunch as Ashton Turner (57 off 33 balls) and Philippe (24 off 16) engaged Twenty20 mode, faced with defensive fields and a flagging Victorian attack.
Philippe was castled trying to hoick Sutherland, before Turner, who thumped three sixes - including one monster off Todd Murphy which delayed play for five minutes as players and punters unsuccessfully searched for the ball - miscued a one-handed pull off Boland to Jonathan Merlo.
WA, who were crawling at 2.5-an-over prior to lunch, crunched 156 off 27.1 overs in the middle season.
Sutherland (3-66) and Boland (3-101) were the pick of the visitors' bowlers.