The Colours started the season with genuine optimism.
And by genuine optimism we mean the prospects of slipping into the playoffs were actually sanguine.
For a club which has been entrenched in the bottom half of the standings for the greedy share of eternity, that would have represented real progress.
They had the pack to get there as well.
The faithful at Montecillo looked forward to seeing hard-running prop Israel Otunuku and former New Zealand School’s hooker Aone Lolofie make a positive impact.
Lock Lawrence Leung-Wai offered a lot of promise.
Loose forward Simon Pupualii is always a hard man to wrestle to the ground, and front-rower Alex Nettleton’s leadership shaped as key.
There was just enough talent out wide to suggest Zingari-Richmond might be able to convert some of its muscle into a few more wins than usual.
That has not happened.
Instead they will be playing Alhambra-Union at the North Ground tomorrow, and the loser will likely bank the wooden spoon.
What went wrong? Injuries.
Coach Shaun Bovey was clear about that.
"It is not impossible but that [the top six] does look a long way away," he said.
"Initially that was hard to take.
"But our injury toll has been massive. Two weekends ago against Dunedin we only had 14 of our own players [starting], and that is why Tala [Fagasoaia], our assistant coach, had to start at No 10.
"The injury toll has just absolutely massacred us and our aspirations that we had up front."
Star hooker Lolofie suffered a broken jaw in round three and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The injuries kept coming, but that was a big loss.
"It has been hard work to be honest.
"We get one or two players back. But, still, for this weekend, we’ve got five players coming up from prem colts, so it’s not easy."
There have been some positives, though. Having so many injuries has provided playing opportunities and that builds the depth of experience in the club.
"And everyone has stayed positive."
Leung-Wai has been a standout player. He is mentioned most Mondays in the match reviews.
"He is a very good player and has taken a bit more of a leadership role. He is very physical and great in the air at lineout time."
Otunuku has carried and tackled hard. Out in the backs, Callum Donaldson has proved versatile and has performed well, particularly when he is at fullback.
AU is also winless this season. The Broncos made a horrific start to the campaign with some very heavy losses. The 99-0 loss to Dunedin in round two was particularly humbling.
But AU has been more competitive in recent weeks. It pushed the defending champions, Southern, hard late last month. It lost 33-30, but that result was certainly noticed at Montecillo.
In the other games this weekend, Southern (34 points) will host Harbour at Bathgate Park. The Hawks are holding on to sixth place.
That last playoff spot is shaping as a three-way battle between the Hawks (18 points), University (15 points) and Green Island (19 points).
Green Island is hosting competition front-runner Kaikorai (40 points) at Miller Park, while University is at home to Dunedin (34 points).
Taieri (37 points) has the bye.
