Jadran Herceg Novi won 1st place at the 4thΒ “Vlaho Bata Orlic” memorial tournament in Belgrade, honoring a legendary coach who laid the foundation for modern Yugoslav and Serbian water polo. The pre-season tournament has been traditionally organized by Novi Beograd each year since 2022.
Besides the 2025 Champions League runner-up Novi Beograd and Jadran HN, three other teams participated: Sabac, Partizan, and Primorac Kotor. The latter won the “Bata Orlic” Memorial last year.
It was a round-robin tournament. Jadran Herceg Novi clinched the trophy with three wins and one loss, beating Novi Beograd in a crucial match today. The home team had the same record as Jadran but finished in 2nd place due to today’s loss to the Montenegrin champion. Sabac took 3rd, Primorac 4th, and Partizan 5th place.
Novi Beograd opened the tournament with an easy win over Partizan (18:5), and Jadran defeated Sabac 14:8 in Round 1.
The second round offered more excitement. The Montenegrin derby, Primorac β Jadran, turned into a scoring festival. Primorac recorded a 22:20 victory, with six goals from Marko Mrsic. A returnee to Jadran, Daniil Merkulov, found the net four times. Novi Beograd defeated Sabac 13:11. At halftime, the score was 6:6. The hosts, led by Nikola Lukic and Vasilije Martinovic (3 goals each), played better in the second half.
Following the win in the Montenegrin derby, Primorac failed to maintain the momentum and suffered a defeat in the third round. Sabac beat Primorac 11:10 in a game with a lot of twists and turns. The top scorers on the winning team were Kovacevic and Barac, each with three goals. Stefan Vidovic, a newcomer to Primorac, also netted three goals. After the loss to Primorac, Jadran HN bounced back with a 21:10 victory over Partizan.
The derby of the fourth round, Novi Beograd β Primorac, didn’t disappoint fans. The teams were in an even contest until the middle of the fourth period, when Novi Beograd built a 4-goal advantage and controlled the match until the end, winning 14:11. Once again, Lukic and Martinovic were the top scorers for the home team, with three goals each. Stanojevic had the same output in the Kotor-based team.
After two back-to-back losses, Primorac lost all chances to retain the trophy.
The last encounter of the tournament, between Novi Beograd and Jadran, was decisive for the top spot. The Montenegrin champions needed all three points to climb to first place, and they did what they had to do. Jadran defeated Novi Beograd 18:16. The hosts had a 14:13 advantage, but then Jadran produced a 5:1 run. The Montenegrins earned an 18:15 lead with less than two minutes left in the game to secure the victory. Dmitri Kholod made a significant contribution to the win with five goals. Vasilije Martinovic and Dusan Trtovic scored four goals each for Novi Beograd.
Novi Beograd’s Vasilije Martinovic was the best scorer of the tournament (14 goals). Dimitrije Risticevic, who arrived at Primorac a few months ago, was picked as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Petar Radanovic (former Jadran HN’s head coach) debuted as Novi Beograd’s head coach at the tournament, but he couldn’t count on some of the key players because of injuries and illnesses.
2025 “Vlaho Bata Orlic” Memorial
Round 1
Jadran HN β Sabac 14:8 (3:2, 1:2, 4:2, 5:2)
Novi Beograd β Partizan 18:5 (3:1, 6:2, 6:1, 3:1)
Round 2
Primorac β Jadran HN 22:20 (7:5, 4:4, 7:4, 4:7)
Novi Beograd β Sabac 13:11 (4:4, 2:2, 4:3, 3:2)
Round 3
Jadran HN β Partizan 21:10 (8:2, 5:2, 3:6, 5:0)
Ε abac β Primorac 11:10 (1:2, 3:3, 4:2, 3:3)
Round 4
Sabac β Partizan 21:11 (3:2, 5:3, 6:3, 7:3)
Novi Beograd β Primorac 14:11 (2:3, 4:2, 4:3, 4:3).
Round 5
Primorac – Partizan 22:9 (4:3, 6:2, 5:3, 7:1)
Novi Beograd – Jadran HN 16:18
Standings: 1. Jadran HN 9, 2. Novi Beograd 9, 3. Sabac 6, 4. Primorac 6, 5. Partizan 0.
All winners – 2022: Novi Beograd, 2023: Novi Beograd, 2024: Primorac, 2025: Jadran Herceg Novi.
The five teams that participated in the tournament will play in a newly formed Premier Regional League, which will start in three weeks. Besides them, Radnicki Kragujevac, Crvena Zvezda and Buducnost Podgorica will compete in the new league.
Before the start of the Regional League, Novi Beograd and Primorac will participate in the Champions League Qualifications (September 19-21). They were drawn into the same group. Novi Beograd will be the host of that tournament, and it will welcome Primorac, Steaua, and Pays d’Aix.
