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A DOZEN hearts broken in Tahiti, elation for others, plus a big dollop of the locals beating-up event favourites made for a day of contrasts down at the End of the Road's second day of competition.

The Billabong Pro Tahiti dawned with slight melancholy in the air. You knew that today good people would be eliminated from the ASP World Tour as the chop down to 32 became a reality. Perhaps there will still be a hero story in this event, someone doomed who goes on a run and saves themselves, but the candidates are pretty limited after round three accounted for 12 of the 13 casualties.

Conversely the locals went wild on the event favourites with Manoa Drollet giving Jordy Smith the big shove one day after doing-the-do over Taj Burrow. Turns out they don't need it to be macking to be dangerous. Heiarii Williams came within an inch of beating Slater and I doubt Mick Fanning is relishing his upcoming heat with Tamaroa McComb, the trial's finalist.

The surf was overhead, pretty damn perfect and hopefully it'll stick around long enough for the comp to finish tomorrow. Here's hoping that the reef here can pull some magic out of what is a dropping swell with the last few days of the holding period not looking very promising.

In more danger of chopping his opponent in half than being chopped ... Andy Irons through to round three.

© Steve Robertson/ASP - 2012