Footscray Edgewater captain Dean Russ will appear in the nightmares of the Prahran bowlers in Victorian Premier Cricket.
Russ sensed the do-or-die occasion for the Bulldogs and dusted off an innings from the top shelf.
The left-handed opener amassed 184 from just 205 balls, including 21 fours and three sixes, to put his side in an unassailable position.
Picture gallery: Footscray Edgewater v Prahran
James Crosthwaite’s brilliant knock of 96 off 103 was dwarfed in comparison.
The openers put on 194 for the first wicket to signal the Bulldogs’ intentions of reaching the finals.
The Dogs will do so if they take care of their own business, which would seem a fait accompli, and if one of Camberwell Magpies, Essendon, Melbourne University or Monash Tigers loses in this final round.
The Bulldogs’ side of the equation, declaring on a massive 7-429 off 81 overs, is more than half complete. Their scoring rate was 5.26 per over, and they made two late breakthroughs to have Prahran in trouble at 2-20.
When Crosthwaite was removed four short of the ton, the Bulldogs didn’t take a backward step.
Russ had a 124-run stand with Travis Dean (51) before Dylan Kight (26) and Anthony Barton (42no) maintained the rage.
The Bulldogs will be odds-on for first innings points, but they could take it a step further with 18 wickets in a day, which would eliminate the need for one of those other four finals contenders to lose.
The Dogs won outright in the previous round; can they repeat the dose?
If they can’t, the phones will be running hot on Saturday night, trying to get information from around the grounds.
As it stands, Essendon, Melbourne University and Monash Tigers will go into their second day’s play as favourites, but eighth-placed Camberwell Magpies are seemingly the most susceptible to losing their spot in the top eight to the Bulldogs.
It will be a nail-biting Saturday for all concerned.
