Something that doesn’t happen often in CEFL — player transfers — will happen with news that Filip Vezmar will join the Budapest Wolves. Even more unusual in this case is that Vezmar is leaving the Novi Sad Dukes, leaving to play football in a different country.
Dukes’ starting strong safety during the 2007 season says that he decided to contact the Wolves because he wanted to learn from a “top coach”. The Wolves are coached by Lee Hlavka, by far the most experienced coach in the league.
He will join the Wolves on the 3rd of March. In 2007 he was credited with 14 solo and 5 assisted tackles, including 2 for loss. In 2006 he recorded his only interception.
Despite Dukes’ respectable performances in the past two years, they were still a team lacking in the coaching department with only one coach in Predrag Nikolić and even he is currently not available because of army service. This year though, they will finally have an additional coach with Dragan Kanura, a former player, coaching the defense and acting as Head Coach until Nikolić returns mid-season.
Vezmar won’t be the only player leaving Novi Sad this year. Nebojša Mirković, their starting defensive tackle is questionable to return because he might move to the United States, and backup running back and kick returner will play for a non-CEFL Serbian team from Vršac, as will starting center Milan Čulić who moves on to Vrbas.
With all this, the team’s new management is being put to the test, but new president Kosta Stojaković says there have been a lot of positives. They now have the highest number of players ever so playing in two competitions, CEFL and Serbian league will be managable. After holding a tryout in December of last year, Stojaković says the team got around 10 prospective players that they will use more as the season progresses.
Also, their top players like Čaba Juhas and Marko Đanić will also return fully healed from injuries. Juhas was among the players that had offers to change teams, both from a CEFL and a Serbian team, but he decided to stay where he is now.