Gavin Hunt issues fitness warning over star trio Ashley Du Preez, Given Msimango and Bradley Grobler: 'I can’t play them'

Stellenbosch finds themselves in a peculiar position after a chaotic 3-3 draw against Polokwane City in the Premier Soccer League.

While the result showed character, the focus post-match shifted toward the fitness levels of Gavin Hunt's high-profile new recruits.

Hunt expressed his deep-seated frustration after being forced to limit his new stars to brief cameos rather than starting roles.

"The problem is Ashley hasn’t done any training," Hunt explained, as quoted by iDiski Times.

"You know, I can’t play them. They got 20 minutes or so. Bradley [Grobler] hasn’t done any training; Ashley hasn’t done any training. Given [Msimango], you know he’s… [Mosa] Lebusa, we got half a team. We got a team out here."

The transition period at the club has been complicated by the departure of established starters who were fully conditioned, replaced by talent that is currently lacking match sharpness.

Hunt highlighted that while the business was necessary, the lack of a proper pre-season for the new arrivals has disrupted his tactical plans.

"You know we’ve signed; the players have gone and come, but the players who are gone were at least fit," Hunt added.

"The players who were brought in, they’ve done no training. So, it’s a problem for me, and the season is upon us.

“But you know, with our business being done late through no fault of any of us or whatever, obviously five weeks or six weeks of training.

"Then players come the last week. It’s difficult for me as a coach, and then obviously to play away all the time."

One of the primary concerns for Hunt is the absence of friendly matches to ease these players into the intensity of the PSL.

Without the luxury of a traditional pre-season schedule, the coach is forced to use official league fixtures as a platform for conditioning.

The coach detailed the difficulty of managing workloads without the usual ramp-up period that pre-season provides.

"Well, you can train them as much, but there’s no practice games," Hunt noted.

"Normally, practice games give you a little bit of 20/40, 50/60, 70/80 minutes.

"You build them up as the pre-season goes on, and now you’ve thrown them straight in. At least one of them got a goal on the first touch, unbelievable."

Despite the lack of training, the quality of the new signings was immediately apparent. Du Preez, returning for a second stint at the club, made an immediate impact by scoring the equaliser.

Hunt remains wary of the road ahead, acknowledging that while the talent is there, the foundation of physical readiness is missing.

The draw in Seshego served as a reminder of the squad's potential, but also the fragility of a team currently in transition.