Orlando Pirates winger Oswin Appollis has struggled to replicate last season’s form.

The 25-year-old has managed just two goals and three assists this campaign, a poor return for a player of his calibre.

In his first year with the Buccaneers, Appollis was consistent throughout the season, netting 10 goals across all competitions and also adding eight assists.

In recent matches, Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou decided to start him from the bench. The Moroccan has defended his decision to bench the star, saying it was not the lack of form but player management.

“Appollis is one of our best players. Appollis is one of the best players in South Africa. He is full of quality, but Appollis we don’t have to forget is a human, he is not a robot,” Ouaddou said.

“So Appollis played a fantastic season for his first season in Pirates. He comes from Polokwane, where you know a lot of things have changed for him, and he managed to handle all these things. He did a wonderful, a fantastic season.

“Straight away, he went to the World Cup, and it’s not only him, many players in Europe, many players in other clubs. He played the games. He gave everything for his country. So it’s a guy who is not cheating. So we can understand one moment that sometimes a player can maybe have this fatigue.

Appollis yet to have a solid match for Pirates this season

With Relebohile Mofokeng gone, Appollis has struggled this season. In terms of goals, he has taken more shots at goal than any Pirates player but often failed to find the target.

At Bafana, he also failed to recapture his form, which helped the team in the 2025 AFCON.