Ayanda Patosi (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Patosi missed the club’s training sessions and was dropped for two league games by coach Benni McCarthy.
“He missed a day’s training before the last game and it was critical for us to have everybody focused.
“We can’t allow one player to mess it up for everyone else‚” Comitis told TimesLIVE.
“His statistics on the pitch are great‚ you can see the return we have when he plays.
“There is no question about his ability‚ but it is more than ability that will get a player to be in a starting line-up and help us to win things.
“We have to be able to rely on players and be honest to everybody else who have put in a full shift.”
Patosi has also struggled to keep his weight in check after joining the club at the start of the season.
“He had a few issues relating to his condition and he needs to man-up now and take responsibility‚ failing which we cannot have a player that keeps letting us down‚” Comitis said.
“He needs to understand we are here to support him but he needs to support himself as well. Coach [Benni McCarthy] will only consider him if he’s in the mental state to be considered.
“You have to understand that we have a coach that is in his first outing [season] and he puts a lot of emphasise on having respect from everyone.
“You can only gain respect when you are operating in a way that doesn’t favour anyone and always keeps consistency in terms of certain principles.
“It is not up to us teach someone like Patosi‚ he knows exactly what is expected of him and he is a talent that should be playing for South Africa [regularly].
“He could make an absolute difference‚ but he needs to give his commitment first. We are here for him‚ but he needs to step up.”
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