According to New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling, it could have been worse.
But it was hard to find a silver lining to the dark cloud that hovered over the Black Caps' fortunes after Thursday's opening day of the first Test against Australia in Brisbane.
At stumps, Australia were 2-389 with Usman Khawaja (102no) set to pick up on Friday where opener David Warner (163) left off against what seemed an underdone Kiwi attack.
Yet Watling swore he had been in a worse pickle after the opening day of a Test.
"Yeah, the first day at Abu Dhabi was pretty tough," Watling said.
That was New Zealand's first Test against Pakistan in the UAE last November when the hosts were 1-269 by stumps on day one on their way to 3(dec)-566 first-innings total.
They eventually lost by 248 runs.
But the Kiwis might be chasing a bigger first-innings target in Brisbane after New Zealand's limited preparation appeared to bite back on their attack.
Strike bowler Trent Boult (0-90 off 19 overs) appeared short of a gallop on his return from a back injury.
And time lost in New Zealand's farcical abandoned tour match in western Sydney also seemed to catch up with No.1 seamer Tim Southee (1-63) after flashes of brilliance.
Offspinner Mark Craig (0-96 off 21 overs) was their biggest disappointment with the ball despite last-minute tips from Australian ex-Test allrounder Greg Matthews.
But asked if New Zealand could bounce back, Watling said: "We're obviously not in the ideal situation.
"If we hang in there for long enough, and take this game deep, we'll see where it goes.
"Our objective tomorrow is to come out, get some early poles (wickets) and try to put pressure on them.
"Australia won that day, but we'll continue to fight."
New Zealand failed to make the most of early life on the bouncy Gabba deck after losing the toss and then missed a golden chance to draw first blood.
Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum could have run out opener Joe Burns (71) on four but his shot at the wickets went wide.
Burns went on to amass a 161-run opening stand with Warner, setting the tone for a long day at the office for the Kiwis.
There was even a fitness scare for McCullum after appearing to jar his knee chasing yet another boundary-bound ball late on day one.
But it could be worse - apparently.
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