Bath Rugby's failure to challenge for Aviva Premiership honours hamstrung their players' British & Irish Lions ambitions, according to head coach Gary Gold.
For the first time in the professional era no Bath players will tour with the Lions this summer following the announcement of Warren Gatland's squad to travel to Australia earlier this week.
Props Paul James and Davey Wilson were seen as the club's best bets for selection, having been the only Bath players involved in this year's Six Nations, with Wales and England respectively.
James will instead have to focus his attentions on Wales' Test match in Japan in June, while Wilson will hope to be involved in England's two-match series in Argentina the same month.
Saracens' former Bath prop Matt Stevens, who quit the club after failing a drugs test in 2009, was named in the 37-man squad for the tour, which climaxes with three Tests against the Wallabies.
Gold was disappointed his players had been overlooked but added that the failure to break back into the Premiership's elite had counted against them.
"I think that there are one or two players here who can deem themselves very, very unlucky not to have been selected," said Gold.
"But let's call it as it is, if we are not doing that well as a club, our players are not going to be in the limelight.
"That's our responsibility going forward.
"If your club is doing well and you are winning trophies, or in the top four and competitive, then teams like the Lions and England will look at the club.
"That's certainly a goal that we are looking to work towards to put our very good players on that stage.
"We talk about walking this journey and the players are going to have to pull their weight – as we are going to have to pull ours – for us to be a competitive club again.
"Then we will be in the shop window."
Wales flanker Sam Warburton was named as captain for the tour, which starts with a match against the Barbarians in Hong Kong on Saturday, June 1.
