Ncamsile Shongwe sees Tuks as Super League title contenders

Tuks suffered a huge decline in their previous campaign, dropping to eighth position with just 40 points from their 30 matches – a mammoth 43 points behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Shongwe says 2025 is the year to showcase what the team is really capable of.

"We are looking ahead to the season and aiming for nothing but competing for the league. We're capable of doing that, we've shown that in the past two seasons," said Shongwe.

"So, as a team, finishing in the top eight just wasn't enough for us, but it is what it is and we had to accept that. But from the moment we finished in the top eight, we knew that this is not where we're supposed to be, this is not the standard of Tuks.

"So we are really pushing hard this season for the league [title], and it's something that is doable, and we all know that."

The 38-year-old centre-back blamed the team’s setback last season on a large number of injuries.

"We slightly dropped from the position we were in 2023, and the main challenge was mostly injuries – we had so many injuries," she added.

"Personally I had to be laid out for seven months with an MCL [knee] and we also had so many top players, like Wendy [Shongwe] having ACLs, and quite a lot of Achilles injuries, which really dented our opportunity to really compete.

"Most of them were lengthy injuries, so we couldn't compete, but it is part of the game and we accepted that and moved on."

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