White devastated at crushing loss

A devastated Cameron White said that Victoria's innings and 354-run defeat to Queensland in the Pura Cup final was the lowest point of his career as captain. The loss was Victoria's greatest in 115 years of cricket, but White promised that his side would take the "hurt" in their stride and bounce back stronger next season.

"When you know you're out of the game a day and a half, two days to go, it hurts," White told The Age. "I think with the amount of hurt that's there, you automatically become more hungry the year after and for a time to come. I think our group will bounce back. I think we've got some young players in our team who will be better off for this season and I look forward to working with them.

"It just makes you really hungry. It's hard to say an hour after you lose a Pura Cup final but looking ahead, I hope it would make us very hungry and passionate about getting back on the right track next year and at least competing in this fixture next year ... when you lose this sort of game, it makes you a better side the following year."

His opposite number Jimmy Maher, whose double hundred led Queensland's rampant charge to a record-breaking 900, agreed that Victoria could definitely come back hungrier. "At the start of the season, I didn't think they'd be playing in the Pura Cup final," Maher said. "They've done outstandingly well. They lost [Matthew] Elliott at the start of the year, [Brad] Hodge to Test cricket -- those two blokes have scored mountains of runs for Victoria ... to lose Elliott and Hodge and still make a final, they're a good side to do that. They'll bounce back, don't worry."

Queensland's victory was their sixth domestic title in all, and Maher admitted that the desire this time around could only be matched by their inaugural title over a decade ago. "They [Victoria] ran into a Queensland side that was hungrier than you've ever seen a Queensland side ... the last Queensland side that was this hungry was in 1994-95."