Defending champion Queensland will host Tasmania in next week's Pura Cup final at the Gabba after both sides secured outright wins today.

Tasmania beat NSW by ten wickets in Hobart and the Bulls recovered from a horrendous start to the match against the Vics to wrap up a five-wicket victory on day three.

Western Australia can finish the season level with Tasmania in second place by beating South Australia outright, but the Warriors are so far behind the Tigers on averages they are not a realistic chance of reaching the decider.

Queensland's passage into its fourth successive final only came after a recovery from 6-22 on the first day of a roller-coaster match which finally ended three overs after lunch today.

"We came in needing two points (to host the final) and we got six," said Queensland captain Martin Love after his first game in charge.

"There's not many days you end up 6-20 odd but we bowled well and batted quite well in the second innings.

"It was all our fault we were six down. We just batted badly, there's was nothing wrong with the wicket once you got in."

Clinton Perren pushed a single to move Queensland to 5-164, giving the Bulls maximum points.

Love, who will lead the side against Tasmania if Stuart Law's hand injury keeps him in the stands again, produced the only half-century of the match.

His fine 61, which steered a brittle batting line-up out of trouble late on the second day, was his seventh half-century of the season and took him past 1,000 runs for the summer.

It was his 43rd half-century in first class cricket and his 17th at the Gabba.

Love's dismissal provided Victorian wicketkeeper Darren Berry, who was gloving with a broken finger, with his 500th catch.

It's doubtful if Berry has taken too many better catches than his 501st, when he flung his frame full length in front of first slip to glove a one-hander to remove Andrew Symonds (18), who was scoring at a run a ball.

Victoria still hasn't won at the Gabba since 1983-84.

The Bulls deserve favouritism for the final but without Australian representatives Matthew Hayden and Jimmy Maher and injured captain Law, the batting looks suspect.

Their first innings scorecard resemble a Power Ball lottery entry with the first six batsmen scoring 1-1-5-0-2-1.

Rookie opener Daniel Payne, who made one in the first innings, scored a valuable 35 in his second innings and looked more comfortable as the pressure eased.

Payne and Love put on a match-winning 99-run second wicket partnership.

Queensland's teenage bowler Scott Brant emerged as a player of the future by taking six wickets, three catches and figuring in a key last wicket partnership in the first innings which kept the Bulls in the fight.

Victorian captain Matthew Elliott was honest about his side's failure to capitalise on its best ever start to a match at the Gabba.

"Until we can bat well up here, we won't win," he said.

© 2002 AAP