A long 2022/23 campaign in the DStv Premiership is at an end with clubs able to take stock of the last 10 months and where they need to improve for the next season.
SuperSport.com provides a club-by-club review of the campaign and where it went right … or very wrong.
1. MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Another commanding campaign in which Sundowns matched their own record for biggest winning margin, finishing a full 16 points ahead of Orlando Pirates.
Were it not for a late season wobble as their attention turned to the CAF Champions League, they would have won by an even greater margin.
Despite a mid-season coaching change that saw Rhulani Mokwena take over sole control of the dug-out, they were untouchable, with the most goals scored (52) and least goals conceded (13) as they extended their own record of six DStv Premiership titles in a row.
Few would bet against them making it seven, having also embarked on a PSL record 16-game winning run.
2. ORLANDO PIRATES
It was a vastly improved season for Pirates in the league as they overcame a slow start to easily confirm their status as ‘best of the rest’ behind Sundowns.
Coach Jose Riveiro took some time to get to grips with the PSL and the players at his disposal, but once they did they actually garnered more points than Sundowns in the second half of the season.
Their second-place finish means a return to the Champions League in the next campaign and those split duties could impact them if they do not add quality depth to the squad.
They also won the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup, perhaps exceeding the expectations of The Ghost going into the campaign.
3. SUPERSPORT UNITED
The improvement in SuperSport United under coach Gavin Hunt was huge, despite losing a couple of key players, including talismanic captain Ronwen Williams.
They were back among the front-runners this campaign having managed 11 points more than in 2021/22, a big jump up the table and something to build on.
The key for them could be how many of their prized assets they can hold on to in the next campaign, with the likes of Thatayaone Ditlhokwe having already secured a move to Kaizer Chiefs and youngster Thapelo Maseko on the wanted list of most clubs.
Hunt got the best out of his players by employing a ‘back to basics’ mentality and they can now look forward to a place in the CAF Confederation Cup next season.
4. CAPE TOWN CITY
A frustrating campaign for City in which they slipped from second place to fourth, collecting four fewer points than in the campaign before.
Their biggest problem was obvious – holding on to leads – as they gave up 19 points from winning positions through the campaign, easily the most of any side in the topflight.
To be fair to coach Eric Tinkler, he has been on a constant rebuild on the last few seasons as his best players move elsewhere, and some of their signings from 2022/23 are set to already be moved on as they did not work out.
If they can have a strong transfer window, there is lots to build on in this squad with plenty of top young talent.
5. KAIZER CHIEFS
Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has come in for plenty of stick following his side’s fifth place finish in the league but they were only three points off the total they managed in 2021/22, so it is not as if they had a dramatic tail-off in performance.
But they did go backwards to a degree and that has caught the ire of AmaKhosi fans, especially as they look at the improvement across Soweto at Orlando Pirates.
Losing four of their last five league games took them out of contention for the Champions League and the worry for Zwane is that when things went wrong, he seemed to have no answer or fix.
Even the games they won were generally by single-goal margins as they failed to dominate teams in any facet of play. A big, strong No 9 remains their priority with Caleb Bimenyimana seemingly not the answer.
6. STELLENBOSCH FC
Stellenbosch managed to cling on to a top-eight space despite finishing seven points worse off this last season, which was a tough one for a number of reasons.
They got rid of a lot of experience at the start of the campaign and introduced young talent into the squad, which took some time to bear fruit. Also there was the tragic death of young defender Oshwin Andries, though that seemed to galvanise the team in adversity.
The young players will all be better for having this season under their belts and a few have shown they have the quality to be genuine match-winners, so despite a season of toil, there should be a positivity around the squad, who can get better from here.
The return of Iqraam Rayners from SuperSport in January transformed their season and gave them a genuine goalscorer as he scored nine goals in 10 league games (and 15 in 14 overall).
No team had more goals scored in their games (77), with Stellies netting 39 and conceding 38 through the season.
7. SEKHUKHUNE UNITED
It was, in the end, an excellent campaign for Sekhukhune which included a big jump in points, a place in the MTN8 next campaign and a valiant losing effort in the Nedbank Cup final.
They seem to be a side moving in the right direction under coach Brandon Truter, who steadied the ship after a poor start to the campaign with Kaitano Tembo at the helm.
When Truter took over they had 11 points from 12 games and were sitting in the relegation zone, but he managed 29 points in the next 18 games to see them into the top eight.
They were perhaps helped by the long break for the World Cup in Qatar that gave Truter almost a pre-season to work with the players, and they were vastly improved after that.
8. SWALLOWS FC
Wins in their final four matches of the season catapulted Swallows from a relegation battle into the top eight, finishing a full 14 points better off than in 2021/22. No team in the topflight managed more of an improvement season-on-season.
That means coach Musa Nyatama has been retained, though they have lost the services of technical advisor Morgan Mammila who, it appears, has returned to Chippa United.
Whether Swallows can now shift gears and stay out of the relegation dogfight again remains to be seen, but they can get no better encouragement than their late season show.
Former coach Dylan Kerr had a go at the team at the end of the campaign after they relegated his Marumo Gallants side, suggesting Swallows play the worst football in the DStv Premiership. But what will matter most for them is results.
9. LAMONTVILLE GOLDEN ARROWS
Golden Arrows might have snatched an MTN8 place had they not showed little ambition in going for the win in their final fixture against Chippa United, gifting a point to their opponents that proved crucial in the latter’s bid to stay up.
It also meant Abafana Bes’thende missed out on the top eight and has them treading water having finished two points worse off than in 2021/22.
On their day, Arrows are a match for anyone and the coaching duo of Vusi Vilakazi and Mabhuti Khenyeza have done an excellent job on a shoestring budget.
Wins over the likes of Chiefs and SuperSport will have tasted very sweet, while they also did the double against Durban rivals AmaZulu.
Had they not gone into that last game against Chippa with such a poor attitude, they could have been celebrating a stellar campaign.
10. TS GALAXY
There was no top-eight place but in many ways it was a season of progress for Galaxy where they finished five points and three places better off than in 2021/22.
It is not a bad result given the off-field issues at the club that became public knowledge, but in coach Sead Ramovic they have a tactician who can bring stability and structure. There question is whether he will be there next season.
They have also lost stalwart captain Given Msimango to Chiefs, and he will be hard to replace in the heart of a defence which was the third best in the league behind only Sundowns and Pirates.
It was feast or famine for them in front of goal as they recorded 4-0 wins over Golden Arrows and Richards Bay, but then netted only 20 times in their other 28 fixtures.
If they could find a genuine goal-scorer this team would be transformed, because defensively and in the midfield they are solid.
11. ROYAL AM
It was, in the end, a dismal campaign for Royal AM as they finished a full 12 points worse off and went from third in the league in 2021/22 to 11th this time round, a massive drop of eight places.
They started the season with a trio of coaches in Khabo Zondo, Dan Malesela and Abram Nteo, but ended it with John Maduka back in charge.
Their highlight was probably an opening day win over Chiefs and they actually followed that up with four wins in their first seven games (D1 L2) as they topped the table in early September.
But then it all fell apart and they managed only five more victories from the next 23 matches. They were particularly poor on the road, no team conceded more than their 29 goals in 15 away games, almost two per match.
12. AMAZULU
AmaZulu finished second two seasons ago and looked to be a club on the up, but since then it has been a downward spiral and a few more weeks of this past campaign and they might have been in a relegation scrap.
They have battled in the coaching department since axing Benni McCarthy, who has since gone on to make his mark at Manchester United.
The decision to hire rookie coach Romain Folz was an interesting one this season, and did not work out in the end, with the teams inability to turn draws into wins a real problem.
Only Galaxy and relegated Gallants (both 14) were involved in more stalemates this season, though having said that, only the top four suffered fewer than Usuthu’s nine defeats.
What they need is a progressive coach to come in who can turn a good squad of players into one that can find the right balance between attack and defence, and not sit back hoping for scraps in the attacking third.
13. RICHARDS BAY
Coming into this season, promoted Richards Bay’s major aim would have been survival, and they achieved that, so it is job done in the end
But the fact they were second in the league table after 18 rounds of the championship and finished only three points above the relegation zone shows their freefall in the second half of the campaign.
They took only two points from a possible 36 to the end of the campaign in a horrific run of form that, if not arrested for 2023/24, will see them relegated before the campaign has even really got under way.
It is not unusual for promoted teams to tail off in the second half of the campaign, Swallows FC and Sekhukhune did it in the last two years, but this was a dramatic fall from grace for which the coaching staff simply had no answer.
They were the lowest scorers in the topflight with 20 goals in their 30 games.
14. CHIPPA UNITED
Chippa actually got one more point than the previous season and it proved the one they needed to ensure their safety.
They continue as a topflight team despite themselves, and just when it seems their luck has run out, they find a way to survive. This time it was via the generous antics of Golden Arrows, who showed no real desire to beat them on the final day.
But that should not mask a poor campaign – no side lost more than the 14 defeats they suffered this season, and no team conceded more than the 44 goals. Only bottom side Gallants (5) managed fewer wins than the Chilli Boyz’ seven.
They have been here many times before though and history will repeat itself while the instability caused by the boardroom prevails.
15. MARITZBURG UNITED
Maritzburg must still try and save themselves via the play-offs but the fact that they managed to avoid automatic relegation is a minor miracle.
A final-game draw with Sundowns gave them the point they needed to finish above Gallants, though the sight of Maritzburg coach Fadlu Davids pleading with the Sundowns bench to “help us” in the second half was not a good look.
An early season 1-0 win over Pirates under coach John Maduka offered hope and they only lost two of their first seven games (W2 D3) and were seventh in the table, but that proved a false dawn and they lost five of the next seven (D2).
They let Maduka go at the start of the World Cup break and brought back Davids for the umpteenth time. He won his first three games in charge, but once more could not sustain it as the team lost five of the next six (W1).
They were in real trouble with two rounds to go, but a win against Stellenbosch and that draw with Sundowns took them off the bottom of the table.
16. MARUMO GALLANTS
In the final week of the league season, Gallants were outside the bottom two in the DStv Premiership and battling away in the semifinals of the Confederation Cup.
But just a few days later they were out of the African club competition and relegated, much to the disbelief of many within the club.
A final day 2-0 loss at Swallows Fc proved their undoing, as did too many draws (14) and not enough goals scored (27).
But it is also a tale of boardroom madness and off-field issues around player payments that were not adequately handled by the club, who had Folz, Malesela and Kerr in charge of the coaching staff at various points through the campaign.
They did improve after the arrival of Kerr, but it was not enough and their roller-coaster stay in the topflight has come to an end as they finished five points worse off than last season.