Belgrade’s Red Star aim to end rivals Dorcol’s trophy domination when the sides meet in the SRL First Division Grand Final tomorrow, 13 November at Ada Ciganlija, kick-off 2.30 pm CET (1.30 pm GMT).
This will be the 15th staging of the Grand Final since the reformation of the sport in Serbia and holders Dorcol have claimed the silverware on 13 occasions, the only break in their run two seasons ago when Red Star triumphed.
Last season, Dorcol won an unprecedented quadruple of available trophies but, in 2016, the boot is every much on the other foot as Red Star seek to emulate that achievement.
In an added twist, Red Star has lost only one match all season, to Dorcol, 44-30 in round five of the regular season.
Red Star scrum half Vladislav Dedic is confident that his team can claim the clean sweep. “It has been a very hard year for all the team because our focus was both on club commitments and the national team’s effort in World Cup Qualifiers,” he said. “We want to end this season with the championship decider because we think we were the best team in the league, but they are very experienced side and we know that we have to be at the top of our game to defeat them.”
For the first time in the club’s history Dorcol did not end the regular season in first place, forcing them to play away against Partizan in the play-off semi finals. The champions were on the brink of elimination but their second half comeback saw them get dramatically through 34-32 to ensure they kept their unbroken Grand Final run going.
Dorcol captain Dalibor Vukanovic acknowledged that Red Star is in the driving seat. “We had so much difficulty this season, injuries and some not so good form from our crucial players,” he noted. “That being said, we can make amends by winning against this season’s best team in Serbia.”
Red Star has already defeated Dorcol twice in this year’s finals, 30-0 in the Super Cup and 36-20 in the Serbian Cup and also won in the return league fixture, 50-20 in round 10. They also hold the national 9s trophy.
The match will be live streamed at - http://www.sportuzivo.tv/v2/stream/index.php?channel=sportuzivo2.