Queensland's tilt at what would have been a history-making come-from-behind win over Western Australia has fallen short, with Warriors pair Luke Ronchi and Nathan Coulter-Nile steering their to a three-wicket win on a dramatic third day of the Sheffield Shield clash at the Gabba.
The Bulls were in with a shot of a remarkable win at lunch on Friday when WA, chasing 106 runs for the six points that would ensure it avoids the wooden spoon, had been reduced to a shocking 6-44.
WA captain Marcus North had opted to enforce the follow-on early on day two when his side enjoyed a 180-run lead after rolling the Bulls for 106 in their first innings.
Since joining the competition in 1926/27, Queensland has been unable to snatch an outright victory after being asked to bat again, and that record will remain in place after Ronchi (49 not out) played a steady hand after the meal break.
The wicketkeeper-batsman kept the scoreboard ticking over but did it in a controlled fashion, stroking just the six boundaries as he reined in his usually hard-hitting game in a 66-run stand with Coulter-Nile.
Bulls skipper Chris Simpson threw the ball to leg-spinner Cameron Boyce - presumably to give the debutant some overs should he be called on for next week's final.
Boyce snared the scalp of Coulter-Nile with a well-flighted ball, but it's the form of Queensland's pace contingent that will have Simpson holding high hopes when his side travels to Melbourne for next week's final at the MCG.
After restricting South Australia and Victoria to lowly totals of 72 and 104 respectively in their last two matches, the Bulls delivered yet another extraordinary showing with the leather in the morning session on Friday to be in a position where they could have pulled off what would have been an incredible win.
WA made a terrible mess of its second innings when Chris Swan (3-35) and Ben Cutting (3-32) ripped the heart out of the Warriors' top order in a frenetic 68 minutes of cricket prior to the meal beak that started with the visitors slumping to 3-1 in the space of 13 balls.
Swan commenced the carnage in the first over when he trapped Wes Robinson LBW for a duck, and was on a hat-trick the next over when North was out edging for a golden duck.
The swing specialist almost had his milestone when a gutsy drive from Luke Pomersbach saw a thick edge fly in-between fourth slip and gully.
Pomersbach looked to finish things in a hurry and the aggressive left-hander's natural game proved to be his undoing.
The 25-year-old charged a short ball from Swan, only for a thick edge to land in the outstretched hands of 19-year-old Chris Lynn who sprinted in from backward point and held on to a very difficult catch.
Matt Johnston, who earlier came out at No.5 but was sent back to the dressing rooms by the umpires due to the fact he had spent the last 18 minutes of Queensland's innings off the field, then became Cutting's second victim and the third WA duck.
Michael Swart (six) was out edging after offering some resistance before Ronchi and Coulter-Nile finally defied the on-song Bulls attack in the second session.
Earlier, Lynn's maiden century gave the home side the faintest sniff of what would be have been a major upset, but the Warriors needed just one hour to race through the lower order after the Bulls resumed on Friday at 6-209.
It could have been over a lot quicker had Liam Davis not grassed what was a straightforward catch at cover in the second over.
After Cutting (20) fell in the opening over of the day, Lynn had added just one run to his overnight score of 116 when Davis offered him a reprieve.
Swan (30) and Luke Feldman (18 not out) then added quick runs either side of the introduction of the second new ball before Lynn's impressive knock of 139 came to an end, fittingly due to a rising delivery from ex-Queenslander Steve Magoffin.
Magoffin bowled immaculately throughout the whole game and finished with man of the match honours due to his match figures of 8-49 and the incredible figures of 5-27 from 18.1 overs in the second innings.
When Queensland takes on Victoria it will be sixth time the two sides have met in the first-class decider in the past decade, and on each of those occasions, the visiting team has been unable to walk away with the silverware.
Western Australia 1st innings 286
Queensland 1st innings 106
Queensland 2nd innings
Broad lbw b Knowles 14
Townsend c Ronchi b Coulter-Nile 9
Philipson c Ronchi b Magoffin 8
Lynn c Pomersbach b Magoffin 139
Reardon c Coulter-Nile b Magoffin 14
Hartley c Ronchi b Magoffin 4
Simpson c Ronch b Johnston 8
Cutting c Pomersbach b Knowles 20
Swan c&b Coulter-Nile 30
Feldman not out 18
Boyce c Ronchi b Magoffin 5
Extras: 16 (4b, 8lb, 4nb)
Total 285 (10 wickets, 85.1 overs)
FOW: 1-21, 2-31, 3-55, 4-103, 5-119, 6-136, 7-210, 8-262, 9-275, 10-285
Bowling
Edmondson 19 - 2- 68 - 0 (1nb)
Magoffin 18.1 - 10 - 27 - 5 (2nb)
Johnston 6 - 1 - 17 - 1
Coulter-Nile 19 - 5 - 69 - 2
Knowles 17 - 1 - 79 - 2 (1nb)
North 6 - 1 - 23 - 0
Western Australia 2nd innings
Davis b Cutting 1
Robinson lbw b Swan 0
North c Hartley b Swan 0
Swart c Hartley b Cutting 6
Pomersbach c Lynn b Swan 19
Johnston lbw b Cutting 0
Ronchi not out 49
Coulter-Nile c Reardon b Boyce 30
Magoffin not out 0
Extras: 4 (4nb)
Total 109 (7 wickets, 26.1 overs)
FOW: 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-27, 5-27, 6-37, 7-103,
Bowling
Swan 9 - 0 - 35 - 3
Cutting 8 - 2 - 32 - 3 (4nb)
Feldman 5 - 1 - 22 -0
Broce 4.1 - 0 - 20 - 1