How De Reuck learned from ‘disappointing’ Bafana snub
De Reuck has admitted that it was disappointing as he felt he was doing well at the time and deserved a chance in the national team.
Rushine de Reuck of Maritzburg United (Gerahrd Duraan/BackpagePix)
When Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki announced his squad for the Caf Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sa Tome and Principe in March, one of the names expected on the list was that of Maritzburg United defender, Rushine de Reuck.
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But the 24-year-old’s name was not there and he has admitted that it was disappointing as he felt he was doing well at the time and deserved a chance in the national team.
“I am not going to lie I was expecting the call-up,” said De Reuck.
“I was doing very well. At the time, Maritzburg needed one goal to win a game (because we were doing well in defence). Statistically, we were the best defence in the league. We had kept 12 clean sheets.
“But what can you do? There are obviously other players who were also doing well who must have felt they were snubbed as well. I can’t go to social media and complain about it. I just need to stay positive and continue working hard because I know my chance will come eventually,” he added.
De Reuck then chose to look on the bright side and found his snub as motivation rather than a rejection.
“There is a lot of motivation to take from it as well so I’m not going (to moan about it)… I was obviously upset but not for long because I know my chance will come.”
With his form this season where he became a force for the Blue Hearts in the centre of defence, De Reuck is one of the players who could get a nod for one of the awards at the end of the season. But he is not paying much mind to that.
“I don’t look into individual awards. I don’t go into a game looking to get the man of the match. I will continue to do well for the team. I am humbled that people are looking at me in that light. If I get nominated, I will be very happy,” he said.
While he has been getting praise all season, De Reuck feels he still has some aspects of his game he needs to improve to become a well-rounded defender he knows he can be.
“One thing I need to work on is contributing in terms of goals and assists. I haven’t scored in the Absa Premiership yet. I really need to work on that.
“Hopefully, very soon I can get on the scoresheet and I am working hard on that because the best defenders in the league, your [Thulani] Hlatswayo’s, [Erick] Mathoho’s, [Daniel] Cardoso’s, [Siyanda] Xulu’s and even [Motjeka] Madisha are scoring goals. They have added that aspect to their game and I also need to get to that level,” he said.
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