Captain Jamie Cox said Tasmania would be the underdog as it tried to win its first four-day cricket championship in the Pura Cup final against Queensland, which starts at the Gabba on Friday.

But Cox also felt it was Tasmania's best chance of breaking its drought since joining the then-named Sheffield Shield competition in 1977-78.

The Tasmanian squad of 14 flew to Brisbane today with one major injury worry, fast bowler Damien Wright.

Coach Greg Shipperd said Wright, who has a leg strain, was "quite doubtful" and would only play if he could come through a match-type preparation.

His loss would be a major blow as he's a key strike bowler and a productive lower order batsman.

Cox said Queensland was entitled to be favourite, especially at the Gabba where it humiliated Tasmania in less than five sessions before the Tigers' post-Christmas renaissance started - coincidentally with an equally lopsided win over the Bulls at Bellerive.

"Queensland have been the benchmark," he said.

"They know how to win, they know what it's all about."

Cox said if Martin Love could be dismissed cheaply twice, Tasmania would be well on the way to winning.

"With Darren Lehmann, he's one of the two most respected batters going around the country," he said.

"He's a very high class batter who's hurt us regularly."

Then there was the Queensland pace attack, which Cox said was as good as any in the country.

"It's been a major part of their success over the period when they've been so great," he said.

"The challenge is to go to the Gabba and get enough runs to win the game. We've struggled there in the last couple of years."

For all that, Cox believed it could be the year of the Tiger.

While his team is relatively inexperienced - only he and batsmen Michael Di Venuto and Dan Marsh played in its last final in 1997-98 - he said there was a great feeling.

"There's genuine excitement and expectation, the feeling that this is our best chance so far, a fantastic opportunity for us," he said.

Moreover Tasmania's current form - with 26 points taken from the last five matches - was as good as anybody's.

"Queensland just had an excellent win to secure the home final, but prior to that their form was a bit patchy," he said.

Cox said the weight of expectation and the hunger could lead to more tension than usual.

"There may be a couple of guys who don't cope as well as we'd like," he said.

"That's the life of playing big games and it'll be everyone else's responsibility to carry these guys through.

"It's going to be a whole different situation for everyone, but one of excitement more than nervous tensions because we've come from being rock bottom and we're revisiting the ground where we were at our worst and our very lowest point."

Neither Cox nor Shipperd singled out any key Tasmanian players, preferring to emphasise the team unity.

Shipperd said Tasmania had come good because because they played smarter and tougher in the second half of the season.

"We played all three disciplines - batting, bowling and fielding - as well as we could play, with contributions right across the group, and that's built confidence, particularly in the new players," Shipperd said.

© 2002 AAP