Ryan Fox carded a second consecutive 68 to take a share of the clubhouse lead on day two of the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth.
The top 65 and ties after 36 holes will advance to Saturday, with the field then cut again to 24 players before the six hole knockout match play on Sunday.
Fox birdied two of his last three holes on Friday to get to eight under alongside Australian Matthew Griffin and Thai Panuphol Pittayarat.
Overnight leader Kristoffer Reitan was also at eight under after making a birdie on the opening hole of his second round.
Fox missed out on the match play stages after losing in a play-off at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in 2017 and finished a shot out of the play-off 12 months ago.
The New Zealander is now in prime position to seal his first Sunday appearance at this event as he looks for a maiden European Tour title.
Scot Robert MacIntyre and England's Richard McEvoy were then at seven under, a shot clear of American Berry Henson, Australian Brad Kennedy and Spaniard Adrian Otaegui.
Pittayarat started the day five shots off the lead but quickly had himself within one as he made birdies on the second, fourth, sixth and seventh.
A bogey on the eighth dropped him back but the Thai picked up shots on the ninth and 11th to share the lead.
Griffin had earlier moved into a share with birdies on the 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th but he dropped a shot on the 17th before bouncing back on the first.
McEvoy hit back from a bogey on the fourth with gains on the sixth, ninth and tenth, and when Fox birdied the 14th - after driving the green - 15th and fourth after a birdie-bogey start, there was a six-way tie at the top.
Pittayarat broke out of that group with a birdie on the 15th and home favourite Griffin soon joined him at eight under as he made a gain on the fourth.
Kiwi Fox dropped a shot on the sixth but picked it straight back up on the next from four feet as Pittayarat made smart up-and-downs on the 17th and last to set the target.
Fox then put an approach to 12 feet at the ninth and a closing birdie had him in a share of the clubhouse lead, where he was joined by Griffin who parred his way home.
MacIntyre had an eagle on the 11th and added birdies on the 14th, 15th, second and fourth to make it a four-way tie before dropping a shot on the eighth.
McEvoy dropped a shot on the 14th to slip to six under but regained it on the last.
Otaegui is a head-to-head specialist having won his two European Tour titles at the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play and the Belgian Knockout, and he made birdies on the tenth, 11th, 18th, first and seventh to go with a bogey on the 15th.
Last week's runner-up Kennedy birdied the sixth, 12th and 15th before making a bogey on the next, while Henson carded a 67.
Kiwi Benjamin Campbell was one under after two holes to also sit at six under for the week.
Scotsman Grant Forrest carded the lowest round of the day so far with a 65 containing five birdies and an eagle to get within three of the lead alongside Australia's Deyen Lawson.
