Desiree Ellis excited as Banyana Banyana’s squad depth grows

Mihlali Baleka|Published 1 minute ago

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis is finally addressing calls for a team revamp through action, putting a concrete plan into place for the future.

As Banyana got their 2028 Olympic qualifiers up and running with a 4–0 win over Madagascar in the first leg of the second round, Ellis gave several new faces game time in Bloemfontein.

Striker Ronnel Donnelly led the new dawn with a magnificent hat-trick, while the duo of Siyamthanda Qashani and Zoe October also made their respective cameos in the absence of some senior players and with the comfort of the scoreline.

Ellis was pleased with the integration, showing her belief in the entire group – especially after calls during a disappointing WAFCON in Morocco for her to overhaul the squad and build from scratch.

While admitting it was important to plan for the future, she acknowledged that she cannot simply remove her seniors and throw newcomers into the deep end, needing a blend of both  – something she carried out at the City of Roses.

“A lot of players who were expected to play didn’t play,” Ellis said. “So, we have to look and see what we have going forward. We have to give other players, who haven’t played, an opportunity. We have to trust and believe in the squad. Otherwise, what are they doing here?

“It’s really important that we have a look at them and what they have to offer. A regular like Bambanani (Mbane) is currently in rehab, so we have to make sure that we have other players ready to take up that spot if someone is not available for whatever reason.”

With one foot already in the third round of the qualifiers, which will take place early next year, Ellis is expected to throw in more new faces in the return leg at the same venue – the Toyota Stadium – on Tuesday night (6pm).

There, she will also be looking at more options in combinations and tactical flexibility, especially heading into the World Cup qualifiers later in the year, where they will face unfamiliar opponents from across the globe.

Already, Ellis was pleased with how a senior pair was able to fit into a new system in Bloemfontein, saying they will need such tactical flexibility going forward.

“It showed against Madagascar in the first leg with Linda (Motlhalo) playing as a No. 6, and Noxolo (Cesane) playing as a 10, that we have players who can step up when other senior players are not around,” Ellis said.

“A lot of these players have been with the team for a while now, so they understand and know what they should be doing. They’ve been given an opportunity, and now the pool gets bigger. The core group gets bigger, and that’s exciting.”