Clayton Daniels has opened up about his admiration for Bafana Bafana star Oswin Appollis, crediting the young attacker’s growth to hard work, perseverance, and a shift in mentality that he personally helped instill during their time together at SuperSport United.
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The veteran defender, who hails from the same Cape Town community as Appollis, revealed that he saw potential in the winger long before he turned heads in the Betway Premiership and earned national team recognition.
“You know, we're from the same location,” Daniels told the Siya crew.
“My mother used to bring him to the games when I was playing at Cape Town Stadium and Athlone Stadium. He was just a small boy, but my mother always told me about him.”
That early connection would later become a mentorship, as Daniels took it upon himself to guide Appollis through the physical and mental demands of professional football.
“I took him under my wing because I knew he was one of those naturally talented but laid-back players. I told him, 'If you want to take your football to the next level and be remembered, you’ve got to get used to the work'."
According to Daniels, the message was simple — natural skill alone wouldn’t be enough to survive, let alone thrive, in the PSL.
“I told him, 'If you go to someone like Gavin Hunt, and if he tells you to bench press 100kgs like the senior players, then you must be ready to do it. Otherwise, he won’t give you a chance'. Football isn’t just about what you do with the ball — it’s about how you look after your body.”
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Appollis took the advice seriously. Under Daniels’ guidance, he started focusing more on gym work, physical strength, and his overall fitness, which has now made him one of the most complete attackers in the league — not only technically gifted but capable of pressing, holding his own in duels, and defending from the front.
“He’s strong on the ball now. He doesn’t get pushed off easily. He can run, press, make interceptions. And that’s what makes me proud — I always knew he had the technical ability to kill a game at any time. We didn’t need to spend time on passing or shooting drills. What he needed was the gym, the mentality, the physical work — and I’m so happy he took all of it in and went to the next level.”
With top clubs circling and a growing national profile, Appollis is now on the brink of an even bigger breakthrough — a trajectory that Daniels says is richly deserved.
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