The ACT Rockets have fallen agonisingly short of winning back-to-back national indoor cricket titles with an eight-run loss to Queensland.
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When captain Matthew Floros' tidy first over almost forced a run-out in the opening stages, it was a case of close but not close enough. Perhaps it was an omen, as the Rockets fell just eight runs short in their run chase.
One of six Floros family members in the squad, Matthew Floros found the loss hard to stomach but believes the Rockets will be back hungrier than ever next year after the 73-65 loss.
"We'd been playing pretty good cricket all week, and Queensland are a pretty good team," Matthew Floros said.
"We always knew it was going to be a very very close game, it's just unfortunate that we didn't get over the line in the end."
Tim Floros was named as ACT's player of the match in the grand final, scoring 15 from 10 deliveries with the bat and claiming the remarkable figures of 2 for -2 with the ball.
Tim Floros' efforts weren't enough to get the Rockets over the line, but brother Matthew believes it was Tim's form that catapulted the side deep into the tournament.
"He was definitely our best player all week, and showed it statistically," Matthew Floros said.
"Everyone ended up following in his footsteps because he led from the front all week."
Brisbane Heat star Jason Floros made his return to the Rockets line-up for the championships, joining young gun Benji, Timmy and Jake in the blue and gold.
"I think we got one game this week where all six of us were on the court, so that was a really nice moment for us," Matthew Floros said.
One title and another grand final appearance in two years has laid the platform for an ACT dynasty in the indoor format, with last year's title ending fifteen years of heartache.
"The intention is to stay together for the next couple of years, and create a bit of a legacy if we can, and be a top contender for as long as we possibly can," Matthew Floros said.
"We didn't have success for a long time. We won the title last year with pretty much the same people minus a few outs. Everyone is pretty hungry to keep playing and keep winning.
"We're all a pretty close group of blokes, and pretty good friends as well, so that makes it even easier to keep coming back every year and playing together."