Doesn't work for me:

while ( <DATA> ) {
   my $data = $_;
   my @cols = (split(' ', $data, 4),
           (map scalar reverse, reverse split(' ', reverse($data), 5))
+[1..3]);
   print "<$_>" for @cols;
   print "\n";
}
__DATA__
 6     2   -78 testing stuff         0 69.68.119.54:28960    34756 250
+00
 7     4  118 [:EsU:]|BLaZE|        0 24.86.4.164:28960      7248  500
+0
6     2   78 tesssssssting gg  gggggggg   REAAAAA     40 69.68.119.54:
+28960    34756 25000
[download]

Output:

<6><2><-78><testing stuff         0 69.68.119.54:28960    34756 25000
><0><69.68.119.54:28960><34756>
<7><4><118><[:EsU:]|BLaZE|        0 24.86.4.164:28960      7248  5000
><0><24.86.4.164:28960><7248>
<6><2><78><tesssssssting gg  gggggggg   REAAAAA     40 69.68.119.54:28
+960    34756 25000
><40><69.68.119.54:28960><34756>
[download]

I had something similar, albeit so ridiculous that I didn't post it, but at least it seems to work :-)

while ( <DATA> ) {
   my @tmp = split ' ', $_, 4;
   my @start = splice @tmp, 0, 3;
   @tmp = split ' ', (reverse $tmp[0]), 5;
   $_ = reverse for @tmp;
   my @parsed = ( @start, reverse @tmp );
   print "<$_>" for @parsed;
   print "\n";
}
[download]

Output (with the same DATA):

<6><2><-78><testing stuff><0><69.68.119.54:28960><34756><25000>
<7><4><118><[:EsU:]|BLaZE|><0><24.86.4.164:28960><7248><5000>
<6><2><78><tesssssssting gg  gggggggg   REAAAAA><40><69.68.119.54:2896
+0><34756><25000>
[download]

But as I'm still trying to understand your code, I can't see where the error is... ;-)

dave

Update: Eagle-eyed monks will already have noticed that my code is not quite the same as the original, namely here: reverse($data), 5, where ysth had: reverse($data), 4. This is (of course :) because I started playing with it before posting. However, the output in both cases appears to be the same...