A place in the playoffs seemed a certainty with the line-up the Volts boasted.
But despite some fireworks from Jesse Ryder in the middle of the order, and a cast of all-stars featuring Ryan ten Doeschate, Hamish Rutherford, Neil Wagner, Aaron Redmond and Michael Bracewell, and cameo appearances from Jimmy Neesham, Mark Craig and Nathan McCullum, the Volts won just three of their seven completed matches.
Alarmingly, that team looked a lot stronger on paper than the side which will front for Otago's opening one-dayer against Northern Districts in Alexandra today.
There is no Ryder, no ten Doeschate, no Rutherford, no Wagner, no Neesham, no Craig. And left-arm spinner Nick Beard is taking time off to work on his action.
For Otago coach Dimitri Mascarenhas, there is no point focusing on who is missing. It is his role to get the best out of the players available and there is still some talent and experience in the squad.
Redmond, Derek de Boorder, Bradley Scott and James McMillan have collectively played 250 one-day games for the province, and Bracewell and Sam Wells are also well-established players.
''I'm very excited about the team,'' Mascarenhas said.
''We've got a good squad together and I've just said to the lads I'll be expecting us to put in some good performances and reach the finals. There is no reason why we can't.''
The competition was incredibly tight last summer.
Canterbury topped the table with four wins from six completed games, just one more win than Otago, which missed out on the playoffs.
Wellington managed to win only three games as well, but picked up four points for two abandoned games and slipped into the playoffs ahead of the Volts.
That was the break the Firebirds needed.
They went on to win the tournament, beating Northern Districts in the final.
''The teams are very closely matched, as we've seen in the twenty20s and even the four-dayers,'' Mascarenhas said.
''Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We'll be looking to start off well. I think that is really important so we can get some momentum.
''We have some very heavy hitters up the top of the order and we have Nathan [McCullum], who is the best one-day spinner in the country.''
''Our seaming department is probably the most inexperienced part and I suppose teams will look to target them - but we expect that, so that's fine.''
While pace bowlers Jacob Duffy and Sam Blakely will come under pressure, batsman Brad Rodden and all-rounder Josh Finnie also face a steep learning curve.
They are poised to make their one-day debuts today and opener Ryan Duffy will replace Redmond for the game against Wellington on Tuesday.
Redmond will return to Dunedin to be with his wife, Katie, for the arrival of the couple's second child.
Rodden, Finnie and Ryan Duffy offer a lot of inexperience in the batting line-up.
Bracewell produced some breakthrough performances with the bat last season and has been in good touch again this season.
It is important for his development he kicks on and helps close more matches.
''For him, it is just a matter of scoring big runs. That is what we expect of him. He bats No 3 for us in all forms of the game and No 3 has to score hundreds. If he can do that, that will win us games.''
Mascarenhas felt Auckland looked the most menacing of the other five sides.
''They have some big hitters and look very strong at the top with guys like [Colin] de Grandhomme and Anaru Kitchen. But other than that, most teams have their ball-strikers and match-winners and I think everyone is pretty evenly matched.''
Otago v ND
Alexandra, today, 11am
Otago: Aaron Redmond (captain), Sam Wells, Michael Bracewell, Nathan McCullum, Brad Rodden, Iain Robertson, Derek de Boorder, Josh Finnie, Bradley Scott, Jacob Duffy, James McMillan, Sam Blakely.
Northern Districts: Daniel Flynn (captain), Dean Brownlie, Graeme Aldridge, Jono Boult, Joe Carter, Jono Hickey, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Brad Wilson, Anurag Verma.
OTAGO'S ONE-DAY DRAW
December 27: v Northern Districts, Alexandra
December 30: v Wellington, Queenstown
January 2: v Auckland, Auckland
January 4: v Northern Districts, Mt Maunganui
January 10: v Wellington, Wellington
January 14: v Canterbury, Dunedin
January 18: v Central Districts, Dunedin
January 21: v Canterbury, Rangiora
January 24-28: Playoffs
February 1: Final
