South African biokineticist and conditioning coach Simone Conley has opened up on her role in the rise of Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile and her new job in Saudi Arabia.
Conley, who became well-known during her time with Highlands Park in the DStv Premiership following their automatic promotion from the National First Division in 2018 (before they sold their status in 2020), has revealed her role in the treatment and strengthening of Shalulile, who was "flying under the radar" at the Lions of the North in the second-tier and had quite a serious knee injury.
Read: Wydad Closing In On Chiefs' Bimenyimana
"I met Peter Shalulile when I joined Highlands Park with coach Owen Da Gama in the NFD. Look, Peter was flying very (much) under the radar, had a world of potential but really suffered from a couple of injuries, a couple of setbacks," Conley said on SABC Sport Live.
"So he put in the hard work. He's such a dedicated lovely human being, very focused on God and God has blessed him tremendously and his attitude in life is so admirable. He will always go the extra mile and that's what the two of us did together in our journey at Highlands Park, which spanned over three seasons.
"We just built, we kept on working and we rehabilitated his injuries and made him quite strong. It was an ankle injury, quite a serious one, that kept him out for quite a while, quite a few ligaments, not just one that is torn, that's what put him back," she revealed.
Conley, who was with Sundowns Ladies until recently and currently with Banyana Banyana at the FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand, was announced by Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad Ladies Club as their new biokineticist and conditioning coach, ahead of their new season which starts in August.
The Johannesburg native went on and revealed that she has already been in contact with Pitso Mosimane, who was in Saudi Arabia with his team of analysts at Al Ahli Saudi last season and has remained in the Middle East after landing a big job at United Arab Emirates outfit Al Wahda.
"It's exciting, I've obviously been in contact with coach Pitso, I've been in contact with his analyst Kyle (Solomon) and we've chatted about how Saudi is, what happens in Saudi, what are the dynamics," she revealed.
"What's the living space like, what the football space is like, which helps me. I know what to expect when I arrive and I'm looking forward to it," she enthused.
Read – Pio Nogueira: 'Something Is Wrong'
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
