Durban City's Brooklyn Poggenpoel, front right, is taken through his paces at training ahead of the Nedbank Cup final.
Image: Backpagepix
Winning the Nedbank Cup would be a defining step for Durban City midfielder Brooklyn Poggenpoel, potentially adding a prestigious piece of silverware to a family cabinet already storied with footballing success.
Brooklyn, the nephew of former Premier Soccer League stalwart Shane Poggenpoel, is set to feature in his first-ever professional cup final this Saturday, as Durban City take on TS Galaxy at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
While Shane Poggenpoel famously secured three league titles under the tutelage of Gavin Hunt at SuperSport United, his nephew is now carving his own legacy. In a twist of fate, both generations have been mentored by Hunt; the veteran coach oversaw Durban City's transition into the top flight before his recent move to Stellenbosch FC.
Despite the magnitude of the occasion, Poggenpoel has maintained a "cool, calm, and collected" demeanour — the same trait that has seen him become a mainstay in the City midfield this season, starting every match of their fairy-tale cup run.
"My family will be there to watch on the day. My parents, my uncle, and my girlfriend are coming to the game. So I'm looking forward to that," Poggenpoel said this week.
"Winning the trophy is something I've thought about and discussed with my close circle. The team has done well this season as a collective, so this is something we are looking forward to competing for."
For TS Galaxy, the final represents a chance to secure their second Nedbank Cup title, while for Poggenpoel and Durban City, it is an opportunity to prove that their defensive resilience — having conceded only one goal in the tournament so far — can translate into ultimate glory.
Jehran Naidoo is sports reporter for Independent Media and social media coordinator of the our YouTube channel The Clutch.