South Australia will be without fast bowler Brendan Doggett for the Sheffield Shield final against Victoria after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the contest starting Thursday. The absence comes as a significant setback for the defending champions ahead of their attempt to secure consecutive titles. Doggett, who has not played since sustaining the injury in February, was instrumental in last year’s final. His unavailability forces a reshuffle in South Australia’s pace attack for the clash at Junction Oval. Head coach Ryan Harris confirmed the decision on Monday, stating, “He hasn't come up - we tried as best we can. He was going pretty well and he had a bit of a step back last week. Going into a final, you sometimes risk it, but this is probably too much, too fast.” Read also: Cricket Australia backs local curators, rejects centralized pitch control despite costly Ashes losses Injury Concerns Override Final Temptation Doggett’s absence follows a cautious approach by the team management, despite the high stakes of the final. Harris indicated that the long-term outlook took priority over short-term gain. Harris said, “He has got potentially a big August coming up with the Australian stuff as well, so we want to make sure we're not going to run him into the ground. He doesn't have to have surgery this time ... we're obviously going to miss him going in after what he did last year.” The pacer was the standout performer in South Australia’s previous final win against Queensland, claiming 11 wickets and earning player-of-the-match honours. His performance had played a decisive role in ending the state’s title drought that stretched back to 1996. South Australia Look to Maintain Momentum Despite the setback, South Australia have moved to reinforce their squad, bringing in pacer Wes Agar and batter Jake Fraser-McGurk for the final. The latter withdrew from the Pakistan Super League to join the squad. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey underlined the team’s focus beyond individual absences. Carey said, “That's what you play Sheffield Shield cricket to do, is to win titles. The excitement around last year was really special. But for this group, titles won't just define us.” He added, “We understand they're a really good team and they've earned the right to host the final. I do think we're playing our best cricket at the right time of the year. We're looking at getting over to Victoria, playing our brand of cricket ... we're excited.” South Australia now head into the final balancing confidence in form with the challenge of replacing a proven match-winner.