Werribee got the pain it deserved in a 77-66 loss to MCC in the Bowls Victoria division 1 on Saturday.
The Bees went into the encounter on a five-game winning streak and had it smashed to pieces by a better-prepared home side.
A lack of hunger and intensity undid a month of hard work and left skip Snowy Barker irate.
“We were terribly disappointing,” he said. “It’s not just going to happen simply by turning up … it’s unacceptable. It might help give the blokes a bit of a reality check.”
Taking MCC on face value was fraught with danger. The club entered the game with a 3-7 record, but its recent form was better than it seemed.
The MCC that showed up was not the laughing stock of the opening seven rounds, but the one that had become relevant again with three consecutive wins.
Despite MCC’s return to form, Barker expected his side to return home with the lion’s share of points, but the team’s ugly away form made another appearance.
“I really don’t worry too much about what they’re doing,” he said of the opposition.
“I worry about what we’re doing and we were disappointing.
“If you want to be a good side, you’ve got to win those games.”
The Bees claimed just the one rink, Mick O’Neil’s quartet making a welcome return to form with a nine-shot victory.
Peter Ware (-4), Barker (-5) and Rob Panton (-11) coughed up points.
The writing was on the wall early for the Bees.
“We started off ordinary, down 25 at the break,” Barker said. “We were very flat; the boys weren’t up for it.”
Instead of playing off for first place at Christmas, the third-placed Bees will face top dog Deer Park at the Hive on Saturday on a mission to stay in touch with the top two.
“It’s stand and deliver time,” Barker said.
