And probably its worst game of the year was one of only two it won.
Otago had a horror year - nothing could disguise that.
[comment caption=Why did Otago fare so badly this season?]Last by eight points in the ITM Cup. It was inept in its first game against Counties-Manukau and never really got any better.
Why?
Because - when it is all said and done - the players were not good enough.
This is an average competition, and many teams had many average players. Otago's problem was its many average players played poorly.
They did not have the intuition to make the right calls, or the ability to see the open spaces. They were not fast enough in speed of thought and speed of legs.
They lacked dynamism and failed to muscle up.
It was as if you asked Billy Bunter to go and run a sub 2hr 10min marathon. He could train hard and say all the right things.
But come race day it would just not be in his nature to run hard. He would get up to mischief and return to type.
That was Otago.
They would train hard most days and players would talk of performing well in the hope of getting a Super 15 contract.
But come game day, they would just not measure up, and the bad old habits would resurface.
Many Otago players have been picked on promise over the past few years but have sadly not delivered.
The scariest thing was the players who took the field were, by and large, the best available in Otago.
There may have been one or two in the B side who should have deserved a chance but Otago had the best ammunition it could secure on the paddock.
It really only played well against Southland in the Ranfurly Shield challenge where it was within a whisker of lifting the Log o' Wood.
Oh, how different things would have been if luck had gone its way that night.
But it did not and things just went downhill from there.
In past years, Otago has at least got close. But it never really looked likely in any of its losses, apart from the shield challenge, and a narrow defeat to Northland.
The backs ran too much across field and made easy targets for defenders.
Ben Smith was a class act and the coaches did consider using him at first five-eighth.
But that would have just weakened other areas.
No other backs stood out and the loss of Karne Hesketh from last year was a bigger blow than most realised.
Up front, Alando Soakai and Adam Thomson stood head and shoulders above the rest.
New prop Halani Aulika was athletic and ran hard, while veteran prop Kees Meeuws was good value, though a few referees did not like him for reasons that were none too clear.
So, where to from here? Will the coaches survive?It would be tough on Phil Mooney and David Latta to throw them out, as they have only just started.
But everything just has to be a bit more urgent.
If players do stuff up then they should get dumped - even if someone coming in is inferior.
Players must be fitter and more athletic. And, most of all, more skilful.
Things just have to get better.
Much, much better.
