Orapa targets reinforcements after near-miss
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday June 12, 2026 14:50
The Ostriches suffered a 5-1 defeat to Gaborone United's Red Roses in the championship final in Palapye recently, extending GU's dominance of the domestic game whilst leaving Orapa to reflect on another near-miss.
Despite the heavy scoreline, Mbulawa believes the gap between the two sides is not necessarily one of talent, but rather experience, exposure and squad depth.
'When you look at our players and compare them to GU, you can see that they have been more exposed to bigger stages and more competitive games,' he said after the match.
'The football at those levels is much different from where we are because they have played international games. Their exposure is so different from ours.'
The coach's assessment comes after his side produced a spirited first-half display and even took a surprise lead through Messia Radinonyane before the defending champions turned the game around and ran away with the contest in the second half.
For long periods, Orapa frustrated Red Roses and looked capable of causing an upset. Mbulawa said his team had adjusted its usual approach in anticipation of the challenge posed by the reigning champions.
'The standards of the football league in the north are not the same as in the south. When we play teams this side, we focus more on attack. Coming to play against GU, we had to fix our defence and midfield and try to close those gaps. That is why we played well in the first half before we somehow forgot what we should be doing,' he said. The coach felt his side's downfall came when they abandoned the discipline that had served them so well during the opening exchanges.
'We are a team that has a certain style of football. We start from the back and build our attacks. When we face a team much bigger than us, like today, we have to anticipate what can happen, but somehow we lost our shape.'
The defeat marks another chapter in Orapa's remarkable rise.
Having reached their first-ever national championship final in 2025, many expected the club to struggle after losing some of their most influential players.
Amongst the departures was attacking midfielder Dimpho Sedirwa, who joined Double Action, whilst prolific striker Doreen 'Abia' Ramontshonyane also moved on after spearheading one of the most devastating attacking campaigns in recent memory.
Ramontshonyane scored an astonishing 43 goals in just eight regional league matches and added four goals and four assists in the block playoffs as Orapa reached the national championship for the first time.
Yet despite losing such key figures, Mbulawa rebuilt the side and guided the Ostriches back to the national final, underlining the progress being made by the northern outfit.
Now the coach wants the club to strengthen further as it looks to take the final step from challengers to champions.
'I believe that by next season we need around five more players,' Mbulawa said. 'Our chairman has already promised his support to the team, and I believe by next season we will have a solid squad.'
The comments signal an ambitious off-season for Orapa United, who have established themselves as the leading force in the Northern Stream but are still searching for the formula to overcome the country's dominant women's club.
Back-to-back appearances in the national championship final suggest the foundations are already in place. The challenge now is turning those near misses into silverware.