INGWE EMABALABALA’ LOOK FEARSOME

Royal Leopard pose in this file picture.

(At Matsapha Police College)

MATSAPHA – Be afraid. Be very afraid. Last season’s quadruple champions, Royal Leopard look set to continue from where they left off.

The police outfit is in a mean mood and if the words of coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane are anything to go by, teams are headed for torrid times against the mean-looking machine.

Ntibane, interviewed during their morning training session at the Police College sports ground yesterday, said they had already put last season’s unprecedented success behind them and are actually hungry for more glory.

His star studded ensemble is already bursting at the seams with talent. The addition of new signees, Sihlangu duo of central defender Machawe Dlamini and winger Mthunzi Mkhontfo spells doom to the opposition, in particular Manzini Wanderers, who the police outfit face on Sunday in the main game of the day.

This clash will be preceded by another potentially explosive game pitting Manzini Sundowns against Mbabane Swallows.
The Leopard’s morning training session lasted for about two hours.
Enjoy the read, as we bring you Leopard’s training just three days before judgement day.

The training:

It was evident from the onset that the team’s technical bench, headed by Ntibane and trainer, retired marksman Mfanuzile ‘Fash’ Dlamini wanted to take it easy on the day, as most of the time was spent with Ntibane’s emphasis on tactics rather than hard work.

After a warm up session, which lasted for about 20 minutes and conducted by Dlamini, the players were split into two groups.
The warm up session included jogging around the huge pitch at a leisurely pace, short sprints and other light exercises.
After the warm up, Dlamini worked mostly with the strikers and attacking midfielders, while Ntibane drilled the defensive midfielders and defenders.

The strikers took turns unleashing bomb like shots on the duo of goalkeepers Ncamiso ‘Mbhonyo’ Dlamini and Mphikeleli Dlamini.
The likes of winger Muzi ‘Mzoro’ Dlamini, a slightly limping Barry Steenkamp, attacking midfielder, Zweli ‘Mlilo’ Nxumalo and workaholic midfielder Bongani ‘Chicken’ Sibandze were a marvel with their hard shots that gave Mphikeleli and Ncamiso all sorts of problems between the posts.

On the opposite end of the pitch, Ntibane worked tirelessly with the defensive group led by reigning Player of the Year, Sifiso ‘Sushi’ Nkambule. Nkambule, as always, was rock solid at the back thwarting every move thrown at his defence that also consisted of the overlapping Sizwe Khumalo.

The mood:

It was almost impossible to miss the happy mood the players were in. Obviously still buoyed by their unprecedented success last season, almost all the players seemed to enjoy every minute of the session. The jokers in the pack were the likes of ‘Mzoro’, ‘Mlilo’, gifted midfielder Mathokoza Thwala and Barry, who all kept the other players in stitches with their endless jokes. However, the players were focussed and determination was written all over their faces.

Casualty ward:

With the exception of the slightly limping Barry Steenkamp, only Jerome Ntshalintshali was conspicuous with his absence from the regular squad that almost swept the boards last season.

Coach’s corner:

Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane
“We have already forgotten about last season’s success and we will not go into the field thinking about last season. We are fully aware that we are starting on a clean slate and every team has equal chances of winning the games.

“We respect Manzini Wanderers as a big team and we will go all out to win the encounter. We are grateful for the support we have received from everyone and the whole Leopard family who helped us qualify for the tournament. We will try our level best not to disappoint them by playing to the best of our ability”.

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