Opta Jabu Newsletter #11: PSL Playoffs
On Richards Bay' triumph, Tuks' curse and Baroka's implosion...
The 2023/24 PSL promotional play-offs recently ended, with three clubs battling it out to win promotion to the DSTV Premiership for the 2024/25 season. The playoffs were a close-fought affair, and we went into the final game with the never-before-seen possibility of seeing all three teams end on an equal number of points. In the end, Richards Bay ran out comfortable 4-0 winners over Baroka in the final game and retained their status in the top flight. There is a significant portion of fans who believe the current playoff format is unfair, but that is for another newsletter. We look at some of the numbers from the just-ended playoffs.
Richards Bay
The one disadvantage top-flight teams had was that they came into the playoffs in bad form, while their first-division counterparts would have been punching up toward the playoffs. That wasn’t the case with Richards Bay, who came close to winning Q4 in the top flight. Except Sundowns (14 points) were just one point better in the final seven games.
The Rich Boyz continued in that form and were unbeaten in the playoffs (P4 W2 D2 L0), which is often a recipe to win the mini-league. No team that remained unbeaten in the playoffs has ever failed to win the ’tournament’. 11 of the 13 winners completed their playoff without defeat. Only the 2022 Swallows & 2015 Jomo Cosmos lost one game and still emerged as champions, with Cosmos the more impressive side as they lost their first game of the competition.
Premiership teams (teams that finished 15th in the top flight) have now won the promotional playoffs in five of the last six seasons. That’s more than they managed in the first 14 editions of the playoffs (four incumbent winners).
Last six Playoff winners:
2018-19 Maritzburg United: Premiership
2019-20 Black Leopards: Premiership
2020-21 Chippa United: Premiership
2021-22 Swallows FC: Premiership
2022-23 Cape Town Spurs: 1st division
2023-24 Richards Bay: Premiership
When will it happen for Tuks?
Tuks have not been in the Premiership since 2015/16 when they finished 15th and were bottom of their playoff group. The 2009 Nedbank Cup finalists have been a regular feature in the playoffs, but with little to show for it. Only Black Leopards (8) have more playoff appearances than the University of Pretoria (4), who enjoy what could be described as a hate-hate relationship with the tournament. They needed Baroka to win 1-0 on the final matchday for them to win their first-ever playoff. By half-time, those hopes were dashed.
4 - No team has been to more playoffs without ever winning the tournament as often as Tuks (4 times)
Tuks playoff record:
2024 - 2nd (Richards Bay won)
2022 - 2nd (Swallows won)
2016 - 3rd (Highlands Park won, Mbombela United 2nd)
2007 - 2nd (AmaZulu won)
Baroka implode
Baroka have not been in the Premiership since 2021/22 when they finished 16th and were automatically relegated. They are now guaranteed a third season outside the top flight after a rather disastrous playoffs that saw coaching changes and other off-field issues cause major disruption. A season that promised so much for large parts has tailed off spectacularly right at the very end.
In the first week of October, Dan Malesela joined a club that had no wins in five. Before his first game, they were in 14th place with 3 points from 5 games (0.6 points per game), but from then on, no team won more points than them in the Motsepe Foundation Championship (44), as they increased their points per game to 1.8. They end with one of the worst playoff campaigns seen in the mini-league era, and an unwanted record.
-4 - Baroka 0-4 Richards Bay is the joint-heaviest defeat for any team in the mini-league promotional playoffs (2012+), alongside Ajax Cape Town 5-1 TTM in 2020.
Worst teams in the mini-league playoffs (2012+):
2023/24 Baroka - 0 wins, 1 goal
2022/23 Casric Stars 0 wins, 0 goals
2015/16 Tuks 0 wins, 1 goal
2013/14 TTM 0 wins, 1 goal
