New Zealander Jeremy Brockie has set the goal-scoring standard in the PSL, writes Mazola Molefe in SoccerClub magazine.

Jeremy Brockie hasn’t quite figured out the best dance moves to celebrate his goals since joining SuperSport United in January last year, but his positional intelligence and the way he has consistently rattled the net have made him one of the PSL’s finest finishers.

The former Wellington Phoenix forward has taken the Premiership by storm after arriving as an unknown at a club that had fired coach Cavin Johnson and replaced him with former Bafana Bafana mentor Gordon Igesund five months earlier. Adapting didn’t seem to be a problem for the 28-year-old, who scored in each of his first three matches against Mpumalanga Black Aces, Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu, proving to be a rare breed from a country that is the hotbed for rugby greats.

‘I spent a lot of time practising my finishing and my technique,’ Brockie tells SoccerClub.

‘And I try to do that with both feet because it’s always important if you are a striker to better yourself. I played a handful of internationals for New Zealand as a fullback, but I have always felt natural playing up front as a No 9 and making a massive contribution.’

In just four months in the PSL – after making his debut in February – Brockie had scored 10 goals in all competitions by the end of last season. He didn’t lose his touch in his first full campaign, one that included another coaching change at SuperSport. Igesund was replaced by Stuart Baxter after a dismal start in a campaign where Brockie and his teammates were expected to challenge for the championship but instead finished in eighth place.

That hasn’t stopped Brockie from running to the corner flag to clumsily celebrate one of his memorable goals, which even included the haka. 

‘It doesn’t matter how they go in, but I scored a beauty this season when we beat Maritzburg United [in April] after a great assist from Grant Kekana. I’m disappointed to have scored only 11 league goals, but, like the team, my form has been up and down,’ he said.

‘I have set a target of 15 goals next season and maybe going over the 20-goal mark in all competitions.’

If it were any other striker in the PSL, that would be a laughable statement. But it’s Brockie, a man whose favourite goal to date isn’t hard to remember. ‘It was against Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup,’ Brockie says, recalling the sweetly-timed volley that beat goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo to send SuperSport to the quarter-finals in last year’s edition.

Brockie looks set for a role just behind the strikers in the 2016-17 season, with Baxter keen to take advantage of the club’s deadly attack.

He believes the positional change could help him score more goals after bagging eight since the coach made the surprise switch. But will he return with better dance moves to go with his wonder strikes?

‘I know it still looks awkward, but the supporters know how I celebrate by now and I think I’ll just stick with that.’

– This article first appeared in issue 70 of SoccerClub magazine.