South Australia captain Travis Head promised in the lead-up that the Redbacks wouldn't divert from their attacking style in the Sheffield Shield final against Victoria.
Whether they live or die by the sword at Gliderol Stadium in Adelaide remains to be seen, but that mindset cost them a few times on the opening day of the decider on Saturday.
The Redbacks - needing only a draw to win their first title in 20 years - went to stumps at 8-325, and while both teams were happy to concede they shared day-one honours, it could have been so much more for South Australia.
"We probably had the game by the scruff of the neck a few times today and just didn't quite nail it," said Redbacks top-scorer Alex Ross, who made 72 on a nice batting wicket.
Ross was out 19 balls from stumps when Victorian paceman Scott Boland (1-60) jagged the second new ball back from outside off-stump and bowled him.
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Likewise, Jake Lehmann was genuinely beaten when left-arm orthodox bowler Jon Holland (3-86) got one to turn from well outside off-stump to bowl him when he was on 14.
However, besides that pair, South Australia's youngsters perished trying to play the kind of explosive cricket that got them into top spot on the table in the last regular-season round.
Rookie opener Jake Weatherall combined with veteran Mark Cosgrove (42) to produce the Redbacks' highest opening stand of the summer (90), before he was dismissed for 66 off just 61 balls.
"He absolutely smashed them," Ross said.
"He's quite a strange character. He just went out and whacked them as he does in most of the stuff he plays."
The competition's player-of-the-year, Travis Head, hit a run-a-ball 21 and smashed his seventh ball for six, but his dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse when he was caught at slip off Daniel Christian (2-43).
And just when South Australia looked like they had got back on top courtesy of a 103-run partnership off 127 balls between Ross and Alex Carey, the latter was caught at cow corner for 50 trying to slog sweep a fourth six off Holland.
"They had us on the ropes there at lunch," Holland said.
"But they played a lot of shots and gave us a few chances so I was pretty surprised about how hard they batted."
Ross doesn't expect his side to change their attacking approach despite the high stakes.
"That's the way our batters have played all season," he said.
"Trav said at the media before the game started and it will be the same thing in the second innings, so we'll be trying to win the game."
