The desire for Keagan Dolly to be with the national Under-23 team, which he captained during qualifying for the Rio Olympics, outweighs any tiredness that might creep in after a hectic schedule.
That’s why coach Owen da Gama has, since Friday when Dolly arrived in Brasilia, been balancing that eagerness with giving Dolly enough rest.
Having done that, Da Gama will unleash the team’s talisman against Brazil at Estadio Nacionale Mane Garrincha tomorrow (9pm SA time) in their Group A opener.
“He is the driving force of this team,” Da Gama said. “He is very, very instrumental. He has just arrived from the (CAF) Champions League with (Mamelodi) Sundowns, whom he helped qualify for the semi-finals, so we had to make sure we periodise him properly and make sure that he gets enough rest.”
That was easier said than done. After a 10-hour flight from Johannesburg to Sao Paulo, Dolly then flew to Brasilia, more than 1000km away, to link up with the squad on Friday.
Instead of resting and recovering from jet-lag, with a five-hour time difference between Joburg and Brasilia, the 23-year-old asked the coach to play him in the friendly against the Brasilia Police Department when he arrived. He came on in the second half and scored one of the goals in a 4-0 win.
Even though the opponents were weak - that was the best opposition they could get - the game was symbolic for Dolly as it was the first time he’d played for this team since March when the opponents were tougher - Brazil’s Olympics team in Maceio, where Dolly and Co lost 3-1.
Since then, Dolly hashelped Sundowns to winning the Absa Premiership and qualifying for the semi-finals of the Champions League. He travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Algeria and Egypt with the Brazilians. He also went to Gambia in June with Bafana Bafana for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier and scored a brace.
But even with that hectic schedule, he doesn’t want to miss a moment with the Under-23s, which is why it was hard for him to watch them when he couldn’t join the team because of club commitments. He is looking to make up for that by helping them - at least reach the quarter-finals - by finishing in the top two of a group that also has Denmark and Iraq.
“I have missed out on all the camps, I only came to Brazil (in March),” Dolly said.
“I feel I have missed out on a lot from then until now. I haven’t prepared well with the team. That’s why I felt like playing in that friendly. I figured it would help me get into the groove of things with the team to prepare well for the tournament. I wanted to play so that I can get used to the new players and re-unite with everyone else.”
Two of those, Itumeleng Khune and Mulomowandau Mathoho, weren’t involved in that friendly. The Kaizer Chiefs pair only arrived on Sunday after helping Amakhosi beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 in the Carling Black Label Cup the day before.
Da Gama would have had three days to get everyone to gel in Brazil before their tough assignment of taming Neymar-led Brazil. - The Star