'Always been a goal': Alex Carey's Bradman-esque run of form continues as Redbacks eye Sheffield Shield title

Alex Carey's strong run of form has continued, with the Australian star notching his third Sheffield Shield century of the season over the weekend.

The keeper-batsman finished with 104 off 100 balls for South Australia, who piled on 7/614 declared in their clash against Queensland.

Carey was supported by Conor McInerney (142) and Jake Lehmann (130*), while the in-form Jason Sangha (67) also chimed in with a half-century.

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The knock from Carey took his average for the first-class campaign to 92, which backs up his incredible performance with the bat in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, in which he scored a career-best knock of 156.

Speaking after reaching triple-figures, Carey admitted his desire to taste Shield glory has been on his mind since the start of last summer and with the Redbacks already booking a spot in the final, decided to make himself available against the Bulls.

"I had a pretty good chat with Ryno [coach Ryan Harris] at the start of the year, and I was always wanting to play as many games as possible," he said.

"A goal has always been to win a Sheffield Shield … and I probably thought it's a good idea to play this as well. To get back and play on our wickets with a red ball leading into the final was important as well.

"Knowing we were in the final as well was nice, but I would have played to hopefully get us into a Shield final.

"I think it was important to keep the wheels ticking over and not just sit around and not do a lot for the next couple of weeks."

Carey took the gloves for SA in the four-day fixture, after giving up his keeping duties during the recent ICC Champions Trophy.

Josh Inglis - who starred for Australia in the 50-over tournament - has seemingly taken over the role in the white-ball formats, with Carey acting as a specialist batter.

The final of the domestic competition will begin on March 26 at Karen Rolton Oval after the disappointing decision was made to move it away from Adelaide Oval.

South Australia, who hold a 15-point lead on the Shield ladder, are still waiting to find out their opponents as a host of teams remain in the mix during the final round.