Alister McDermott
BRISBANE _ The odds seemed stacked against Queensland ahead of the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania starting in Hobart on Friday.
An hour after a Queensland Cricket release claimed Alister McDermott had been passed fit for the Shield decider, Bulls' medical staff bit the bullet and ruled the fast bowler out with a back injury.
Adding to the confusion, Bulls' captain James Hopes was named in the 12-strong squad for the final but will not fly out to Hobart with the team today as he sweats on the birth of his first child.
But the visitors will still arrive Leg 2in Hobart confident of adding back-to-back Shield titles to a 2012-13 haul that already includes the domestic one-day crown and the Brisbane Heat's Twenty20 triumph.
``I read that the (NSW) Blues are Leg 3the only team to have held the one-day and Shield titles at the same time so what we are aiming to do has never been done I suppose,'' Bulls' wicketkeeper Chris Hartley said.