Good teams find a way to win
6 October 2006Kragujevac hangs on to the lead, wins the title
8 October 2006Starting on Sunday at 2PM, the long awaited SELAF final between the Kragujevac Wild Boars and the Belgrade Vukovi will kick off. Will the clear cut favorite, the Boars, once again prove their domination over the Vukovi, or will the Belgrade team repeat their only win over the rival from the Serbian Cup final in 2005, we’ll find out at Radnički stadium in Belgrade.
If this game was to be played a month ago, it would’ve been said that the Vukovi will be counting on their offense, and the Wild Boars on their defense to win it. Now, with the Vukovi’s best player, quarterback Andrej Tasić, out, that is clearly no longer the case.
Like in their last match, when Tasić got hurt in the opening drive, the game’s expected to be a stalemate, with characteristically strong Kragujevac’s defense on one side, and Belgrade’s defense that found toughness in the second part of the season, on the other.
One of the leaders on that Kragujevac defense, linebacker Marko Obradović, who led the team in tackles and was third in the league, has no doubt which one is better.
“Kragujevac’s defense is definitely the best part of any team in the league. We’ve had great progress from our defensive backs, and they were the main culprit for our good defense”, says Obradović.
He expects the win to go to the team that makes the fewest mistakes.
“Two strong defenses and two strong running games will leave their mark on the final, mostly because of the injury to Tasić. The team that makes fewer mistakes will win it”, he adds.
The Vukovi unexpectedly will have to turn to Nemanja Petković. In his only start to date, against the Legionaries, he had one touchdown and an interception, but in the last game against the Wild Boars, subbing for the injured Tasić, the Vukovi were shutout, and Petković had three interceptions.
“I certainly expect to do a lot better. I practiced more with the team, and they’re more used to a new quarterback now. The defense has been playing great, the best since the Vukovi exist, so I have no doubts in that part of the team. The offense will be better. It would mean a lot to me if we won, and I expect a win”, says Petković.
The game won’t lack in the organizing part either. “We’re preparing a great show. The actor Nikola Đuričko will be singing the anthem, Nightshift will perform at halftime, and they’ll also record a new video, cheerleaders for both teams, fireworks after the game, and also awards for best individual players”, said Goran Nišavić president of the Vukovi and a member of the SELAF’s Governing Board.


