late breaking news:

ive discovered that the lock down bar mech has come loose.. now this is crucial for correct height of playfield in cab, from the marks inside this has been loose possibly from the trip up.   

i guesstimate playfield angle of some 7.5 + degrees ( SHIIIIT )

i didnt use to drain as bad as it did from the dunny/mower stack area when we playing around at home compared to expo, assume this was major problem for gameplay, ive just fixed it up and retightened, definitely plays different ?

Yeah, I remember Nick saying that the metal guide rail would need adjusting, but if the playfield angle was out this could explain it. No wonder it was so hard to play!