Leading the team will be the dynamic loose forward Marco de Witt and the vastly experienced George Whitehead, who has returned from a broken ankle sustained just three minutes into their 2024 Currie Cup campaign.

On Friday night, De Witt was one of the big winners at the team’s annual season launch and awards function in Kimberley. Having joined the team last year, he walked away with the Griquas Newcomer of the Year award as well as the Currie Cup Forward of the Year accolade.

Speaking about sharing the leadership role with Whitehead, De Witt told OFM Sport that having two captains will make things significantly easier and align with the team’s strategy of squad rotation throughout the season.

“Especially being a co-captain with George, who has a lot of experience,” said De Witt. “I can learn a lot from him, so I’m really happy about that. As the coach said, there will be a lot of rotation. If we are co-captains, one of us can be on the field while the other rests, depending on the workload. It’s a great system, especially having one captain in the backline and one in the forwards.”

George Whitehead. Photo: Morgan Piek

Whitehead, who has played over 100 matches and scored more than 1000 points for the Peacock Blues, understands the frustration of not playing all too well. He, along with his teammates, is eager to kick off their campaign next week.

“The guys can’t wait – we’ve had a massive pre-season with plenty of conditioning, gym sessions, and a lot of focus on detail in our structures,” said the seasoned campaigner, who was named SA Cup Backline Player of the Year.

“I think the squad is really looking forward to competing in the SA Cup again. We are the defending champions, and we definitely want to perform well in this competition.

“All the games will be tougher this year. Last season, some opponents didn’t fully know what to expect at this level. If you take teams like Boland, they’ve had a six-month pre-season. The same goes for the Leopards, who have brought in new coaching staff and players, so it’s definitely going to be a more competitive tournament this time around.”

The biggest winner on Friday night was former Blitzbok speedster Dylan Maart, who shared an incredible story about his journey to the Griquas. He was named Griquas Player of the Year and Currie Cup Backline Player of the Year. Another former Blitzbok, Sako Makata, was voted Players’ Player of the Year, while Athenkosi Khethani was named SA Cup Forward of the Year.

The Griquas will kick off their season on 7 March when they take on the Leopards at Olën Park in Potchefstroom.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg