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KwaZulu-Natal’s Big-Five rekindles hope for silverware

If having more teams from the same province increases the chances of winning silverware, then KwaZulu Natal can as well start dreaming of producing a DStv Premiership champion this season.

The province has contributed Big-Five teams—Royal AM, Maritzburg United, Golden Arrows, AmaZulu FC and Richards Bay FC—to the 2022-2023 edition of the DStv Premiership.

It is the first time in the era of the Premier Soccer League that the number of teams from this province has jumped from two in recent years to five.

Having five teams in the top-flight league has also ignited hope for young footballers from KwaZulu-Natal.  

The up-and-coming footballers now believe they can make it in the professional ranks without relocating to Gauteng.

Such a wave of optimism was visible during pre-season games for the Big-Five from KwaZulu-Natal, where patronage also increased.

Even the provincial/local governments took it upon themselves to offer the top-flight five teams sound preparations for the new season.

The authorities hosted tournaments such as KZN Premiers Cup and Prince Mangosuthu Legacy Cup to assist clubs in having very competitive preparations.

Even teams such as Mamelodi Sundowns, TS Galaxy, Cape Town City and Sekhukhune FC spent the last two weeks of their pre-season training in KZN. This also contributed to the excitement ahead of the new season.

With the league now in the second round, the impact of KZN’s Big-Five’s sound pre-season training has been reflected in their performances.

Royal AM are currently leading the log with six points, scoring four goals, beating Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 and Chippa United 3-1.

Richards Bay are in second place with one win over Golden Arrows and a draw against Marumo Gallants. The newcomers are yet to concede and have scored two goals.

Usuthu are in third place also with four points after beating SuperSport United 2-1 to build on the draw with TS Galaxy, in the process scoring two goals and conceding one.

However, all is not rosy for Maritzburg United, who are yet to record a victory and lie in the bottom three following a share of the spoils with Sekhukhune United and a 3-0 loss to Kaizer Chiefs.

Arrows are also sailing in similarly troubled waters, losing 2-0 to Richards Bay last week and 1-0 to Sekhukhune United on Wednesday.

With the top three, it has become clear that what separates them from the bottom two is how they did their business in this transfer window.

Natal Rich Boys, Usuthu and Thwihli Thwahla made some excellent signings in the market compared to the Team of Choice and Abafana Bes’thende.

Coaching might not be a problem, but most of the time, a team needs some experienced players on the pitch to provide leadership.

One can only hope it is not too late for Arrows and Maritzburg to reinforce their squads so that they too should be KwaZulu-Natal’s strong contenders for silverware.

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