<
>

The curious case of Jeremy Brockie...and Gaston Sirino

Jeremy Brockie of Mamelodi Sundowns Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Jeremy Brockie's coach Pitso Mosimane jokingly suggests there is witchcraft at play, but the long barren goalscoring run for the Mamelodi Sundowns striker is becoming no laughing matter.

The New Zealand international forward was prolific during his time at SuperSport United, netting 54 times in three seasons at Matsatsantsa, which prompted Sundowns to splash the cash in January and bring in the striker.

However, he has now gone 12 games and over 550 minutes on the pitch without a goal for his new club, and the search for that elusive strike is growing ever more desperate.

He is not alone in his struggles; Uruguayan Gaston Sirino has been kept scoreless in 10 matches, a statistic that Mosimane finds perplexing.

"They are two people who are really, really unfortunate," Mosimane told reporters. "We told them we must take them to the township to [see] one sangoma [a Southern African traditional diviner].

"I don't know who has jinxed Brockie. Sirino gets a chance every game but if he doesn't hit the post, then he misses an easy one," he added. "Same as Jeremy.

"Those guys are so unlucky, but they play well and they help us. It's OK, they are going to get there."

Mosimane, ever the perfectionist, said he had been reviewing videos of Sirino playing in Bolivia to try and find an answer to the mystery.

"I was watching again his games in South America just to try and see what is the difference is now," he continued. "You can see they play a little bit slower over there, they play to feet and the tempo is slow, like in West Africa. They drag the game.

"However, in the Absa Premiership, everybody moves quickly. So he is also trying to adjust to the pace but he'll get there."

The next chance for the pair will be when Sundowns host Bidvest Wits in a league clash on Saturday.

Brockie has been in and out of the side since his arrival, mostly due to the fantastic number of options that Mosimane has up front.

However, he will also be aware that scoring goals is his job and why he has found that so difficult, especially compared to his time at SuperSport, is perplexing, as he appears to play with the same confidence.

"With all due respect, I'm very happy at Sundowns even if I don't play every minute," Brockie wrote on his official Twitter account. "What's happening here is bigger than me.

"I'm just delighted to be a part of this amazing team with a great coach."

Brockie's goalscoring troubles aren't limited to club football; he continued his barren run for the New Zealand national side last month when he started in a 1-0 loss to Canada.

His extended his record to just one goal in 51 caps, an almost unbelievable record for a player of such outstanding quality.

Brockie's last goal was all the way back in October when he scored for SuperSport in the Telkom Knockout against Bloemfontein Celtic.

His final nine domestic games for Matsatsantsa yielded no goals, which means he has actually gone 25 games in all competitions, including national team games, without finding the back of the net.