Johannesbueg - Two days before Gavin Hunt guided Bidvest Wits to the MTN8 title, he offered a frank assessment of how tricky playing in this tournament is.
“The MTN8 is a difficult competition because it comes at the beginning of the season,” Hunt said. “You never really know where you are as a team at that stage. It comes at a time when there isn’t much rhythm in the team.”
These words explain why clubs who aren’t used to cup success have struggled afterwards. Winning this tournament gave them a false perception that they are ready to slug it out with the big boys. Their performance the season before also fuels that perception. Golden Arrows won the MTN8 right after finishing fifth the season before, their joint-highest finish. Richard Henyekane led them from the front with his 19 goals in the league.
Moroka Swallows were pushed by coming close to winning the league in the 2011/12 season which went down to the wire. That good run helped them win the MTN8 in 2012 just like it did with Platinum Stars the following year. Dikwena had also finished second the previous season.
“If you look at South African football, people get judged on a competition like the MTN8 which is just four games,” Hunt said. “It’s a little bit harsh sometimes. I think that the league is where you have to be judged. Cups sometimes cloud our judgment. I think that you have to judge someone over a long period of games. The league gives you that.”
Ajax Cape Town went into last year’s MTN8 on a high after losing to Sundowns on penalties in the Nedbank Cup. It was a good sign in only coach Roger de Sa’s first season in charge of the youthful team. After winning the MTN8, they went nine games winless in a season where they finished 10th - relinquishing their trophy without a fight.
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates went on to win the league afterwards because winning one trophy isn’t an achievement in their books. This Wits team has the same mind-set as they view their success not as a poisoned chalice but rather fuel to achieve more. Five days after they lifted the MTN8, Wits will be at the launch of the Telkom Knockout on Thursday to show just how quickly they have to move to the next challenge. What should help Wits not fall in the same boat as Arrows, Swallows, Stars and Ajax is that this isn’t viewed by the club as the pinnacle of their success but rather the foundation.
@extrastrongsa
The Star