Rushine stays motivated
BAFANA SNUB: KEEPS ON KNOCKING
When Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki announced his squad for the Caf Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sao Tome e Prencipe in March, one of the names expected to have been on the list was that of Maritzburg United defender, Rushine de Reuck.
But the 24-year-old’s name was not there and he has admitted that it was disappointing considering 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 a call-up,” said De Reuck yesterday. “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 were 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 rather look on the bright side and saw his snub as motivation rather than 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.”
He became a force for the Blue Hearts in the centre of defence and his form kept improving.
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 too much attention to that.
“I don’t worry about individual awards. I don’t go into a game looking to get the Man-of-theMatch. 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, however, he still has some aspects of his game he needs to improve to become a well-rounded defender.