Marija Jovanović - captain of Budućnost T-Mobile and best scorer of WRHL talks about good results of her team, captain title and expectations in Champions league.

Budućnost T-Mobile has five victories from five matches played in WRHL. Your team defeated CL participants: Krim, Gjorče Petrov, Hypo and Podravka Vegeta. What do you think about the start of the season?

”I am very happy because of good results. Still, five consecutive victories prove that we can do a lot more then that. I think we have really good team who is getting better and better every day. That’s for matches in WRHL mean a lot to us. This is something what we have missed in past seasons. Now we can practise and improve in all segments of our play. We do have quality but also we have a lot of space for improvements. I must emphasize great atmosphere in our team, positive energy which gives us strength to go on.”

Experience and self-confidence

You are long time in Budućnost. Can you compare this season with the past ones?

“This is my fourth season in Budućnost. From my point of view this season is very different from the past seasons. For example in last season we did not win one single match on preparation tournaments. And of course there is WRHL this season with lot of strong matches. This is great for getting experience and self-confidence. We will need all that in CL.”

In the beginning of the season your team-mates elected you unanimously for captain of the team. How does it feel?

“We are winning so it feels great.(smile) To be acknowledged by your own team-mates and to deserve their respect – it is great feeling. Also great honour and a big responsibility. I am very well aware of all that. But I will not allow any of these things to distract me in any way. I will continue being what I am,  with even greater responsibility in the hall and outside the hall. I will give my best to prove that I am worth of captain title.”

Top scorer

It seems you proved it already. After five rounds played you are top scorer of WRHL with 41 goals. Soon CL will start. Can Budućnost end bad tradition from the past and pass the group this time?

”I believe we can. In last seasons we had good players, but something was always missing. I really believe in this team and I am convinced that we can do big things in this season.

We have a young team, maybe the youngest team in CL, but with character and desire, with fighting spirit and hunger for victory, with self-confidence to continue improving and growing into team which will be recognisable on all these things I already mentioned.”

In group B of CL Budućnost will play against FCK, Hypo and Elda. Can their defences stop shoty of Marija Jovanović?

”Well, my first reaction on our group was that we have been lucky with the draw. But afterwards, when FCK qualified group started to look really tough. Danish team has Anja Andersen as a coach and many great players who won CL with Slagelse. Hypo played in CL finals last season. Elda is also good team, playing high paced Spanish handball. They are all great teams and group B will be tough to play in. We will do our best.”

 I.A.