Durban — It’s been seven years now since George Maluleka, in the colours of Kaizer Chiefs, produced a moment of brilliance by delivering a delightful cross onto the head of Tefu Mashamaite to nod past the late Senzo Meyiwa and hand Amakhosi their last MTN8 crown at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Fast forward to 2022 and Maluleka hopes to hand his new club AmaZulu their first MTN8 trophy at the expense of the Buccaneers once again.
The 33-year-old delivered a performance for the ages in the semi-final as Usuthu dumped out his former club Chiefs, and he earned himself a Man of the Match award in the process.
The Tembisa-born veteran revealed his side’s plans to expose any weaknesses shown by Pirates as the opportunity to make history for the club beckons.
“We are definitely going to try to exploit their weakness and that will definitely benefit us. Depending on the coach’s game plan on the day … we’ll take a look at a couple of clips from their game against Chiefs, and we’ll try to hurt them where it matters most,” he said.
Maluleka is one of few players in the Usuthu camp with high-profile match experience but he believes the club’s most well-travelled campaigners will have a huge role to play.
“I’m not the only one here that has to play a big role. We have Rama (Mphahlele) as well, there’s Bongi Ntuli, players who’ve been around for a long time,” Maluleka said.
“I think we have a really good mix of players who can advise each other and show each other the right way. I think I’m very lucky to be surrounded by such ambitious players, and I think that’s why we’re here today.”