Hunt sweats his heroes

If you thought Gavin Hunt would take it easier on his men at Bidvest Wits on the training ground now that they have become Absa Premiership champions, you would have been mistaken.

True to Hunt's ultra-competitive nature, it was business as usual on Monday at Wits' training session at Bidvest Stadium, with the coach barking orders and pushing his players hard ahead of their final fixture against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium.

Chiefs are expected to give Wits a guard of honour on Saturday - returning the honour bestowed on champions Amakhosi by the Clever Boys at Bidvest at the end of the 2014-2015 season - although this is yet to be confirmed.

Hunt said Wits were determined to win the game, where they will lift the PSL trophy in their first league title in 96 years.

"We always want to finish well and play with a lot of pride, and owe the game of football," Hunt said, having overseen a characteristically intense Wits session this week.

"Football owes us nothing. We owe football. It has given us life; it has given us whatever. So we need to play properly and treat the game with respect. That's the most important thing."

Asked why he had his players working so hard having already become champions, Hunt replied: "Well, they had to. They had two days off after winning the title, and they need to get sharp again."

Wits wrapped up the domestic championship with a 2-0 win at Bidvest against Polokwane City on Wednesday night, going to an unassailable 60 points, with Mamelodi Sundowns placed second on 56 points.

Chiefs, on 47 points, are playing to improve on last season's fifth place - their current position.

They can at best finish fourth if they can leapfrog Supersport United, currently on 48 points, who meet Platinum Stars at Lucas Moripe Stadium in their final game.