The Sydney Sixers are resigned to at best being BBL spoilers after a fifth-straight loss left their season over.
The Sixers were thoroughly outmatched by a rampant Melbourne Renegades outfit on Wednesday night, slumping to an eight-wicket loss at Kardinia Park in Geelong.
Set a target of just 112 after winning the toss and sending the Sixers in to bat, the Renegades cruised to victory on the back of a fifty from hometown hero Aaron Finch.
Stand-in skipper Johan Botha top-scored for the Sixers with an unbeaten 32 and was their only batsman to clear the boundary rope.
And he conceded after the game that a top-four finish was now beyond his side's reach despite still having five games left.
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"We'd obviously like to win some games. You don't want to go through a whole comp and not win anything," Botha said.
"Probably our aim now is to take a few points from a few teams who could be gunning for a top-four spot.
"Other teams have tried to do it to us in the past, deny you points when they're probably not in the comp anymore, so that's probably our only aim at the moment."
The Sixers haven't been helped by the absence of several key players.
Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe on Wednesday was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle syndesmosis injury.
Captain Moises Henriques remains on personal leave while Daniel Hughes is recovering from a quad strain.
Adding to the Sixers' woes, Nic Maddinson left the ground during the Renegades' innings with a shoulder complaint.
Botha was hopeful Maddinson would benefit from a break before the Sixers travel to Hobart to face the Hurricanes on Monday.
"I think in the nets he might have just hit too hard at one of them," he said.
"I know he spoke to the (physio) before the game. Credit to him, he still had a go out there."
