Australia won just 49 gold medals - compared to 74 in Delhi four years ago following hauls of 84, 81, 79 and 87 - and, worst of all, England took their place at head of the table.
If only Australia had not left it quite so late. Despite winning four of the 11 gold medals on offer on the final day in Glasgow, the 417-strong team will make the long journey back home wondering what went wrong.
Not since the Edinburgh Games of 1986 have Australia failed to finish top of the medal table.
A total of 74 golds in Delhi followed previous hauls of 84, 81, 79 and 87, yet they head home from Glasgow having won just 49 and, worst of all, it is England who have taken their place at the head of the table.
The step backwards is all the more worrying with the next Commonwealth Games to be held on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
But, ever the optimist, Steve Moneghetti, Australia’s chef de mission, has backed the country to regain their “rightful place” at the top of the table in four years’ time
“I think England have performed really well and give credit to them,” he said. “I think they’ve probably achieved higher and we’ve probably achieved about what we expected.
“That gives us a challenge and there were some factors in their favour here that will be in our favour when the Games come to the Gold Coast in four years’ time.
“Whilst our athletes here have performed terrifically well I’m sure there will be great momentum now going to the Gold Coast to make sure we rewrite our rightful place in the sporting battle that is Australia versus England.”
A series of underwhelming performances in the velodrome and swimming pool in the opening few days set the tone for Australia’s worst-ever gymnastics results and their lowest athletics medal haul since 1978.
However, Moneghetti, who says he does not set medal targets, has refused to view his team’s performances in a negative light.
“I am not going to change my line, it’s not about gold medals,” he said. “We can’t control what other countries do. In medal tallies, if other countries go great or countries go bad, our position relative to that doesn’t bother me as long as our athletes are comfortable that they’ve had the chance to give a fair account of themselves.”
As well as multiple disappointments in various sporting arenas, there was plenty of embarrassment away from them.
Athletics Australia has confirmed it is launching a full-scale review after head coach Eric Hollingsworth was sent home for publicly criticising 100 metres hurdler Sally Pearson, who went on to win gold.
Weightlifter Francois Etoundi, who won a bronze medal, also landed himself in trouble when his accreditation was revoked for butting Welsh rival Gareth Evans in the athletes’ village.