The handball players of Borac have been preparing for the upcoming season for almost a month. Right at the start, they face a tough challenge: the final of the All-Serbian Cup against Crvena Zvezda.
In the shadow of the events surrounding the men’s team, the women, under the guidance of their new coach, seasoned veteran Nedžad Mašić, have endured the hardest part of their preparations and have already played a friendly match against Krajina in Cazin, winning 39-23. Compared to last season, the team is without Jovana Novaković and Dunja Jurkas but has been strengthened by young talents from Borac 2, including Anja Bajić, Tamara Pejić, Sara Pavković, and Kristina Dević.
“In the past few weeks, we didn’t want to engage much with the media because we wanted the attention to be focused on the handball players. We are saddened by the situation with RK Borac, as they represent the tip of the iceberg. If things are like that for them, you can imagine how it is for smaller clubs. As for us, the arrival of Nedžad Mašić, a coach with a PRO license, has invigorated the entire club. The players are rejuvenated. Mašić has proven himself as a master of the preparation period, and I’m sure the results will confirm that. We are aiming for the title. In the All-Serbian Cup, we’ll try to surprise Zvezda, who is a much stronger and more expensive team on paper, but they’ll have to prove that on the court. We want to turn the misfortunes we’ve had against Jagodina over the past two years in our favor and finally capitalize on them. The fact that we’ve kept the team together is a great success. We are stable as a club, and I would like to thank the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, for his support. As a former athlete, he has a deep understanding of our needs,” Savic told “Glas Srpske.”
This weekend, the Banja Luka women will play in a preparatory tournament in Bihać. Their first opponent is the Slovenian team Litija. A week later, the “wasps” will participate in another tournament, this time in Cazin, where they will also play against a Slovenian team. Their first match in the Premier League will be on September 21 against Krivaja in Zavidovići.
“We are preparing for European challenges. On October 5, we will play against Dalmatinka in Metković at 7:00 PM. The return match is scheduled for October 12 in ‘Borik’ at 5:00 PM. We hope to surprise our opponent, even though they come from a stronger league, but we won’t give up,” Savic said.
Veselić
In addition to coach Mašić, the coaching staff of the first team at Borac has been strengthened by Sanja Veselić. She has been promoted from coaching Borac 2 to Mašić’s first assistant.
“Sanja is the future of the club. Along with the players, we are investing heavily in coaching staff. She recently became an EHF coach of the third category, which is the highest coaching category that can be achieved in BiH,” Savic said.
Source: Glas Srpske
