Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter's knack for rehabilitating players from career lows has played a large part in Amakhosi's success of the past three years, says a recipient of that ability, midfielder George Maluleka.

The former Ajax Cape Town player, who had been in a slump playing for SuperSport United, then in his first six months at Chiefs, was rewarded for the early-season form he showed this campaign with the MTN8 Last Man Standing prize at the PSL Awards in Sandton on Sunday.

Maluleka acknowledged that Baxter has played a role in putting the spark back into a number of the Chiefs players' careers.

"Stuart always speaks to us individually," Maluleka explained. "Obviously it's as a collective too, but also most of the time he has that one-on-one talk with you, so as a player you can ask him what you need to do to improve.

"Certain things like that. So I think it makes it easier when you're on the field of play to understand what he expects from us."

Maluleka's award for the early-season MTN8 reflects a campaign in which he became more a bit-part player towards the end after the return from injuries of Siphiwe Tshabalala and Bernard Parker. He said this did not bother him.

"Not at all. Because the team was doing well, so why would I be angry if I'm sitting out more but the team's doing well? That's why we are champions, because that's the way we look at it."

That sort of squad attitude has been part of the secret to Amakhosi's success.