BEYOND the team silverware, Orlando Pirates' Betway Premiership final day clash against Orbit College serves as a direct head-to-head for the league’s individual honours Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis.
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If Orlando Pirates stars Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis have one of their best days in the Betway Premiership when they visit strugglers Orbit College on Saturday, the Buccaneers will dethrone Mamelodi Sundowns as league champions.
The title race has gone down to the last day after Pirates suffered a defensive upset against 2026 Nedbank Cup champions Durban City, who held them to a 0-0 draw at Orlando Stadium last weekend.
Mofokeng and Appollis failed to add to their goal contributions (goals scored and assists), as Siphamandla Ncanana, a contender for Defender of the Season, led City from the back to pull off yet another defensive masterclass.
Both Mofokeng and Appollis have numbers on their side to position them as contenders for the 2026 PSL Footballer of the Season and PSL Players’ Player of the Season, and they will be eager to add to them in the Mbombela Stadium encounter.
Their league numbers read:
Mofokeng — 10 goals scored, six assists and six Player of the Match awards.
Appollis — nine goals scored, six assists and five Player of the Match awards.
These numbers pit them against each other and compel each individual to pull their socks up in this remaining match, especially when looking at how they have performed in all competitions this season.
Appollis has played more matches, with 42 appearances, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists. Mofokeng follows with 35 matches played, scoring 11 goals and also providing nine assists.
In addition to the Footballer of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season, Mofokeng and Appollis are also strong contenders for the PSL Midfielder of the Season, considering that they are mostly deployed on the wings and behind the strikers.
For Defender of the Season, Pirates will most likely be represented by Lebone Seema, while Sundowns have Grant Kekana, with City’s Ncanana also in the mix.
For Coach of the Season, the two front-runners are Sundowns’ Miguel Cardoso and Orlando Pirates’ Abdeslam Ouaddou; whoever wins the league between the two will most likely take the crown.
It is, though, notable that Cardoso made history this season by being crowned Coach of the Month three times in a row, which was a first in the PSL.
Due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule, which Bafana Bafana open against Mexico on June 11, the PSL Awards are most likely to take place after the global showpiece. It was the same story last season, as the PSL allowed the FIFA Club World Cup, in which Mamelodi Sundowns participated, to pass before holding the virtual awards ceremony.
Both Pirates and Sundowns are expected to dominate Bafana selection ahead of the World Cup.
Some notable numbers below:
Most clean sheets:
20 Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates)
15 Brandon Petersen (Kaizer Chiefs)
13 Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
13 Ricardo Goss (Siwelele FC)
Most Player of the Match awards:
6 Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates)
5 Oswin Appollis (Orlando Pirates)
5 Lebohang Maboe (Kaizer Chiefs)
Most goals:
14 Sede Dion (Lamontville Golden Arrows)
12 Iqraam Rayners (Mamelodi Sundowns)
10 Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates)