Even during his playing days the former Bafana Bafana and Amazulu striker George Dearnaley was a proper sportsman – and gentleman.
Fast forward two decades and Dearnaley – who now coaches the Sasol League outfit, Magic Ladies, has not lost a single moral fibre of respect and still embodies the true meaning of ‘for the love of the game’ – like a true pro!
This also came to the fore when Dearnaley admitted that he would be the first to congratulate UCT Ladies should they not be able to beat the defending champion in the Sasol League playoffs to determine the winner for the region.
“But I hope it’s my UCT friends Kamaal Sait and Ahmed Parker wishing us all the best at the end of our match,” Dearnaley said to No Bones with Jones.
Needless to say, Dearnaley, who has transformed Magic Ladies into a fantastic football unit over a short period of only two seasons, has immense trust and confidence in his troops – yet he knows all too well that coach Ahmed Parker’s UCT side is not just seasoned campaigners, but a tough nut to crack.
“It is a big game for both teams but UCT are the favourites as they are the reigning Provincial champions and have also been together as a team for a lot longer than us – it’s only our second season together,” Dearnaley further explained.
“But we have improved as a team, we have worked really hard this season and we will be ready to give everything on Saturday,” he added.
Dearnaley, who lost out in the Coke Cup final to Dangerous Heroes last season is yearning for their maiden success, but he knows all too well that the margin for error is very slim.
“I think the most important thing is that whoever wins on Saturday, takes advantage of the National playoffs taking place in Cape Town this year. This province has so much quality, and we need more than one local team in the HollywoodBets Super League,” Dearnaley concluded.
For all the hype and promise shown by George and his ladies, they haven’t achieved anything yet – and Dearnaley is fully aware of this!
