Leeton was down 12-nil at one stage in the first half, before replying with three tries to lead 14-12 at the break.

In the second half the visitors fought on and led 31-18, before the Mallee Men scored right on the bell.

Greens coach Jody Rudd said the game was never in the bag until the siren, with West Wyalong pushing for the full 80 minutes.

“… they were right with us the whole way through,” he said. “We couldn’t break away from them.

“We were expecting a good game from them seeing as they hadn’t been beaten since we got over them in the first round. Since then they’ve gone through Yenda and Waratahs.”

Leeton continues its reign at the top of the competition after the victory, which Rudd said was not the team’s prettiest effort.

“Our fitness was just a step above theirs in the end and we played with lots of enthusiasm,” he said.

“But we made lots of errors as well, we probably only had 40 per cent of the ball. It was the hard-fought win we needed with a few tough games coming up.

“Our ball control wasn’t the best and we made a few errors in attack, but our defence was great.”

Shayne Roden was named player’s player and Taikaha Brown and Noa Fotu, who bagged three tries, also worked hard.