RHINOS has transformed from a basement side to the team to beat in the domestic Pro 50 Championship since Adam Chifo took over the reins at the start of the season.
Chifo wants to complete a magnificent turnaround of the Midlands side with a win in Saturday’s Pro 50 Championship final in Kwekwe.
The team finished top of the table on 55 points, six ahead of second-placed and last season’s finalists, Mountaineers, at Kwekwe Sports Club.
Manicaland’s Mountaineers, then coached by the now Chevrons head coach Dave Houghton won the coveted trophy last season, and Rhinos were no way near the podium finish.
They were rooted at the bottom of the table with seven points- one win and seven defeats. Rhinos even had three points deducted for slow over rate in a match played against Mountaineers in November last year to compound their misery.
However, all that now seems to be a thing of the past as Rhinos are guaranteed silverware, either gold or silver.
“We pride ourselves on having done so well thus far. Rhinos came last on the log last season, and for us to bounce back and be top of the league with a chance to win the final is massive for us,” Chifo told EnterSportNews.
“Being a new guy in the change room, I had to make some cultural changes, which we all believe as a team have been the force behind our transformation.” said the former senior women’s national cricket team coach.
“I am a firm believer in player-coach relationships, good communication and taking full responsibility for our actions, and this has had us looking at the game from a different perspective,” he added.
“Rhinos has more talent than any other province, in my opinion, so my main aim is to harness all the talent, experience and individual aspirations to enable everyone to perform at the best of their abilities.”
With the same arsenal that struggled to win games, Chifo has knit them into a formidable side that every team dread playing against.
“What we have done as a team is to create a learning and growth environment for all, instilling self-belief and taking full responsibility for our actions,” Chifo said.
“We had to make massive changes regarding how guys looked at their careers. I mean we have Neville Madziva, Prince Masvaure, Takudzwa Kaitano, Tarisai Musakanda, Nyasha Mayavo and Carl Mumba.
“These are players who have had a stint with the national team, so my challenge is, how do they get back into national colours, and what processes do we have to go through so that they become regular players when they eventually get back.”
But with Mountaineers keen to defend their crown, Chifo knows that the final will not be a stroll in the park. He, however, is confident that the team has done enough homework on the Manicaland side enough to gore them tomorrow.
“We know who will likely win the game for them, so we have the plan to deal with individuals, but as a team, we are just going to stick to our plans and processes, and we are sure that the result will take care of itself,” he said.
