While its third placing in the twenty/20 tournament was an improvement on last season, and third in the one-day competition was on par with the previous summer, it was still third in a six-team competition.
The Volts have six weeks remaining to upgrade from fair to fabulous. All it will take is to win the Plunket Shield, which resumes today, when Otago hosts Auckland at the University Oval.
The Volts are in fifth place, with 25 points from four games.
Northern Districts leads with 46 points from Auckland (34), Central Districts (30), Wellington (29) and Canterbury (21).
With a maximum of 20 points on offer for each of the remaining six games, the competition is still wide open.
If Otago is going to claw back the deficit, then it will need a lot more from its top five. The batting, by and large, has been poor and it has been some of the more experienced players who have let their standards slip.
Aaron Redmond is the most obvious example. The former Black Cap's form has fallen away so dramatically he was axed from the twenty/20 and one-day squads and has been removed as the captain of the four-day side.
Redmond had averaged 43.55 in 39 games for Otago but has added just 107 runs at an average of 15.28 in four games this season.
He desperately needs runs in the next six weeks and lots of them. His career could depend on it.
But the 32-year-old opener is not the only batsman battling.
His shortcomings have helped keep the spotlight off one or two of his team-mates.
Neil Broom has had an equally poor start to the Plunket Shield with 104 runs at 17.33, and no-one in the Otago camp, including the ever-reliable Craig Cumming, has scored a first-class hundred this season.
Hopefully, it is not an omen, but Cumming will move into the nervous 90s when he strolls out on to the University Oval today.
It will be his 90th first-class game for the province and he will draw level with Bruce Blair and Noel McGregor as the second-equal most capped Otago player. Only Warren Lees has played more first-class games for Otago, with 108 appearances.
The Volts' bowling attack has been boosted with the return of Warren McSkimming. He has been troubled by a knee complaint and has not played for the province this summer.
The experienced medium-pacer has captured 231 first-class wickets for Otago and will fill the void created by fast bowler James McMillan's injury.
All-rounder Sam Wells will play as a specialist batsman, due to a side strain, and Jimmy Neesham is poised to make his first-class debut for Otago after an impressive showing in the one-day tournament.
Auckland will have to soldier on without its New Zealand contingent of Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Mills, Roneel Hira, Michael Bates and Martin Guptill.
But the Aces can still call on test bowler Chris Martin, former Black Caps Tim McIntosh and Gareth Hopkins, and in-form batsmen Neal Parlane and Anaru Kitchen.
Plunket Shield
Otago v Auckland
Played: 120. Otago wins: 29. Auckland wins: 59. Draws: 32
Highest total: 627 Auckland, Lincoln 2006-07. Lowest total: 35 Otago, Christchurch, 1884-85.
Highest innings: 355 Bert Sutcliffe (Otago), Dunedin, 1949-50. Best bowling (innings): 9/36 Albert Wensley (Auckland), Auckland, 1929-30.
The teams
Otago: Craig Cumming, Aaron Redmond, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Sam Wells, Derek de Boorder (captain), Jimmy Neesham, Neil Wagner, Ian Butler, Warren McSkimming, Nick Beard, Darren Broom.
Auckland: Gareth Hopkins (captain), Dean Bartlett, Brad Cachopa, Anaru Kitchen, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim McIntosh, Bruce Martin, Chris Martin, Colin Munro, Neal Parlane, Jeet Raval, Bhupinder Singh.
