The Hungarian national water polo team is ready to make a splash at the upcoming World Cup, with head coach Attila Biro becoming the latest coach to announce his squad for the tournament.
The Magyars will face off against Greece, the Netherlands and Australia in Group A, and they will be looking to replicate the success they achieved in November when they clinched the Silver medal at the World League Super Finals.
Biro has opted for continuity, selecting largely the same squad that secured the Silver medal in November. The only addition to the team is UVSE’s Panni Szegedi, who has been in good form throughout the season.
Tuesday 11th April.
14:00 : Spain vs United States
16:00 Italy vs China
18:30: Netherlands vs Australia
20:30: Greece vs Hungary
Wednesday 12th April
14:00: Spain vs Italy
16:00: United States vs China
18:30: Netherlands vs Greece
20:30: Hungary vs Australia
Thursday 13 April
14:00: Greece vs Australia
16:00: Spain vs China
18:30: Netherlands vs Hungary
20:30: United States vs Italy
However, the squad is not without some omissions, with four players who trained with the team last week failing to make the final cut.
Gyor’s young keeper, Luca Torma, was not deemed ready to challenge the experienced duo of Magyari and Neszmely for the starting goalkeeper spot. Meanwhile, Dalma Domsodi, an exciting young centre from FTC, was left out in favour of the more experienced duo of Rebecca Parkes and Geraldine Mahieu.
Attila Biro also took a cautious approach with Natasa Rybanska, leaving her out of the squad due to concerns over her physical condition. Rybanska’s UVSE teammate, 15-year-old Panna Tiba, was expected to feature for the national team for the first time but was also left out after falling ill during the team’s preparations.
The Hungarian head coach did, however, suggest that he would rotate this group of players for the subsequent tournament in Athens, so those players who missed out in Rotterdam might well be brought back to the team at a later date. Biro told MVLSZ:
“There was only so much for experimentation this time, but at the same time there will definitely be changes for the next qualifier, the tournament in Athens.”
Hungary World Cup Squad
Alda Magyari (UVSE), Neszmély Boglárka (FTC), Vanda Baksa (UVSE), Kamilla Faragó (UVSE), Krisztina Garda (Dunaújváros), Gréta Gurisatti (FTC), Kata Hajdú (UVSE), Dóra Leimeter (FTC), Rita Keszthelyi (Mataro) , Geraldine Mahieu (Dunaújváros), Zsuzsanna Máté (FTC), Rebecca Parkes (Eger), Panna Pőcze (FTC), Panni Szegedi (UVSE), Dorottya Szilágyi (Eger), Vanda Vályi (Plebiscito Padova)
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