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Brisbane Heat's BBL season is over after they suffered a seven-wicket loss to Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium.
A desperately disappointing BBL season for Aaron Finch and Melbourne Renegades is over but at least they went down swinging.
Finch scored an unbeaten 63 as the Renegades ripped a finals berth away from Brisbane Heat with a seven-wicket win at Marvel Stadium.
Monday's win consigned the Heat to seventh place and was some small consolation for the Renegades, who finished bottom with just three wins after winning last season's BBL title.
"To win three of the last five was really impressive from the boys," Finch said.
"I think we could've just rolled over, been down and out, and kicked cans and let the season drag on but the boys kept fighting.
"We were in a lot of games, it wasn't as if we got blown away by the competition, it was just small moments in games that let us down.
"But I'm really proud of how we fought."
The Renegades' title defence got off to a horror start, their hopes of back-to-back crowns dashed by a run of nine defeats to open the season.
Finch admitted his squad has some holes to fill but remains confident a better run with injury and the development of young players like Mackenzie Harvey and Jake Fraser-McGurk will hold them in good stead.
Brisbane, who would have won the right to a home final at the Gabba with a victory, were left to rue yet another uneven batting performance.
Matt Renshaw impressed with 65 runs from 47 balls, including four sixes, while Marnus Labuschagne (28) helped steady the innings after early wickets fell.
But big guns Chris Lynn (14) and AB de Villiers (6) failed to fire.
"Our destiny was in our hands but I'm not so much disappointed in this effort, it was the couple of big losses that we had throughout the season where we really could have set (ourselves) up," Lynn said.
"It is frustrating but we've got to be positive ... there's no need to throw our blueprint out, it definitely works, we've just got to be more consistent."
The result meant Sydney Thunder hung onto fifth spot and will play Hobart Hurricanes in The Eliminator at Blundstone Arena on Thursday.
