Young forward Cassius Mailula has burst onto the scene this season with some stunning displays for Mamelodi Sundowns, writes Mazola Molefe.
When veteran goalkeeper forward Kennedy Mweene gave this interview about hid Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Cassius Mailula, the young striker had managed 16 goal contributions from 18 matches in his breakthrough season.
Mailula has made the most of his maiden campaign in the top flight after he graduated from the development academy at Chloorkop, reaching double figures and becoming the club’s go-to forward while two senior players were out injured.
It looked like tragedy had struck when Peter Shalulile and Abubeker Nassir were ruled out with long-term injuries before the World Cup in Qatar, prompting reports that Sundowns could go shopping for another striker.
Mailula was already slowly being introduced, but the general feeling from those who did not quite know what he was capable of – was that the kid from Ga-Molepo in Limpopo would find the responsibility too daunting to handle.
But fast-forward six months and the 21-year-old has produced decisive performances against Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League.
Mweene forecasts a bright future having seen several young players blossom at Sundowns since his arrival at the club in 2013.
“I think he’s not the first one. When we got to Sundowns the younger ones who also joined the team were Khama Billiat, Bongani Zungu and Percy Tau. I’m just happy that all those young ones that I’m talking about are still playing now, and look at what they have achieved,” the Zambian goalkeeper said.
How will experienced players like Mweene keep Mailula from getting carried away?
“I think we always encourage Mailula to put his feet on the ground, literally, because he’s got a lot of potential. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. He’ll be good as long as he keeps his feet on the ground,” adds Mweene.
“He listens and he acts on whatever I have said to him because he knows that I’ve been in the PSL since 2005. I don’t even know where he was when I started playing PSL; he was possibly still very young. A lot of youngsters are getting it right at Sundowns because they’ve got us.
“We’ve seen it all in the PSL. We also advise them not to let the media overhype them, because you guys make them feel like they have reached their peak. But we remind them that the media puts you on a pedestal and then bring you down again. If you go too high, my friend, you will fall and not find someone to hold you.”
At his age, Mailula still has a lot of growing up to do as well, and head coach Rulani Mokwena recognises this.
“There’s still so much to improve. The decision-making on the transitions lets him down. He’s still very young and needs a lot of coaching to be done. But as I said a couple of weeks ago, offensive players have to improve by experiencing these situations and getting better. But I am very proud of him,” Mokwena explained.
What plays to Mailula’s advantage is that he has a coach with an extensive background in working closely with the youth.
Mokwena got his big break when Pitso Mosimane elevated him to the senior team bench in 2014 after he had impressed coaching Clapham High School, while also involved with the juniors at Chloorkop then.
This soft spot for academy players presents Mailula with the likelihood of growing and not being relegated to the stands as soon as Downs sign another superstar in the transfer market next season, which is inevitable.
For Mokwena, to paraphrase the great Sir Matt Busby, if young players are good enough, they are old enough to influence high-level matches at big clubs.
“Pedri (Spain) is playing in the World Cup and he is Cassius’ peer, and Jude Bellingham (England) is playing at the World Cup,” is the coach’s view when asked about Mailula playing regularly and being given the scoring responsibility in both the domestic league and continental football.
“I can go on and on about this, given what we saw during the World Cup in Qatar and the exposure that these players were getting on that type of stage at a young age. Many coaches persisted and trusted him, giving him games that were very difficult [instead of] more senior or experienced players.”
There is no doubt that in the sink- or-swim analogy, Mailula has surfaced with flying colours, one of his stand-out displays being a bullish performance in the away 2–2 draw against Al Ahly in the Champions League group stages.
“If you don’t give these young ones an opportunity to play in games of consequence, you don’t throw them in the deep end in these types of scenarios and competitions, how do they gain experience?” concludes Mokwena.
Photo by Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
