It’s not about how you start, but how you finish. The fourth edition of Varsity Football is like a marathon. It’s all about strategy and calculating your moves before you launch your final attack in order to win an epic race. Marathon runners usually start slow but step up the pace towards the end of the race. Sprinting from the onset in a marathon is suicide.
That is why runners usually calculate their next move: so that they can last throughout the race. It’s still early days, nothing has been won yet and no team has emerged as the clear-cut favourites to win the Varsity Football title yet. After three matches the log will start to take shape. Until that stage all the eight teams can still win this popular Varsity competition.
But NWU-Mafikeng is not one of them.
They are not even close to being installed as the bookies’ favourites to end their title drought in the competition’s fourth edition. And this has nothing to do with their dramatic collapse at home against UJ. If you’re wondering why I am dismissing their title charge after just one game, you will soon understand why I am not tipping them to win this trophy after I have finished unpacking my reasons.
NWU-Mafikeng are carrying a monkey (of having not won this competition in their past two attempts) on their backs. Shaking off this monkey will be a task on its own, as the expectation of winning this trophy is weighing heavy on their tiny players’ shoulders. Can they cope with all this pressure? Will crumble? Can they rise to the big occasion? Do they have big match temperament?
I don’t think so. They just don’t have it in them to do it this year. Perhaps when this popular Varsity Football competition celebrates its five-year anniversary in 2017. And that will only happen if they qualify for next year’s edition. But that is another story, for another season.
Reasons it won’t happen for NWU-Mafikeng in 2016:
They are bridesmaids
Twice they stumbled in the semis and the team (UP-Tuks) that booted them out went on to lift the trophy. Not once, but twice.
They talk the walk, but don’t walk the talk
NWU-Mafikeng love to tell anyone who cares to listen, how they will win the title. It’s one thing to say that you want to win a title. It’s another to translate that energy onto the pitch. Actions should speak louder than words for NWU and nothing else.
They don’t have nerves of steel in their current squad and this was evident against UJ
When the going gets tough, they simply collapse and don’t seem to have a plan B.
The fear factor is no longer there at their Mafikeng fortress
I want to make it clear that I have nothing against NWU-Mafikeng. They always treat me like a king whenever I visit them in the North West to watch their home matches. I’m still looking forward to watching them in Mafikeng in 2016. In fact, I can’t wait to get behind the wheels to go there and watch them in action. No stadium in the land provides such an electric atmosphere. Their grandstands are closer to the pitch, and that creates a fantastic atmosphere. But the truth is they don’t seem to have a team that has the ability to go all the way.
In closing
I know that I’m writing them off after just one match, but coach Amos Xabanisa and his technical team have it all to do if NWU-Mafikeng are to win this competition. I wasn’t that surprised to see them crash to their heaviest defeat in the history of this competition against UJ. But my eyes popped out when I saw the scoreboard. Seeing it happen to such a massive institution, that prides itself on its soccer development, was too sore for the eyes.
NWU-Mafikeng’s next game on Monday is against UFH at home. They will definitely come out guns blazing. The new kids on the block are likely to leave Mafikeng with tales between their legs. Another big score line is on the cards. But the newcomers will now fancy themselves after what happened in the first game. The fear factor is definitely gone from the Slaughter House.
Even the minnows have every reason to believe that they can pull off the biggest shock of this year’s competition. The onus is on NWU-Mafikeng to prove me wrong and turn the tide – and they have to do that quickly. All eyes will be on NWU-Mafikeng to see how they will react to this setback.
By Charles Baloyi Daily Sun and Sunday Sun Sports writer
