July 12, 2022 - The Croatian Water Polo Federation announced on Tuesday that 36-year-old center Josip Vrlić retired from the Croatia water polo team ahead of the 2022 European Championships in Split at the end of August. However, that no longer seems to be the case. 

Croatia water polo coach Ivica Tucak announced a broader list of players he'll use to prepare for the European Championships in Split (August 27 - September 10). There are 22 water polo players on the list, and compared to the team that recently played at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, there is no Josip Vrlić, announced HVS on Tuesday. 

Namely, HVS reported that Croatia's oldest player (36), who has played for Croatia since 2018, spoke with coach Tuck after the World Championships, and taking into account the strenuous upcoming preparations, combined with his age of 36, he thanked the coach and said he is no longer ready to contribute at the highest level needed by the national team. He was thereby opening up space for a younger player. 

But that's not quite what happened. 

“Vrlić called me after the announcement of the list of the players. He said that he wanted to remain part of us, that we didn't understand each other very well, at least. I accepted his request. He will skip the basic preparations in Kranj. Vrlić will join the team in Šibenik before the match against Hungary. He is experienced enough that he has no problem missing training because there are players like him who need rest more than training. In any case, better news than what originally was announced for all of us," coach Tucak said for Sportske Novosti on Tuesday evening. 

The list of candidates does not include Hrvoje Benić, who missed the FINA World Championships in Hungary due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. The recovery process of the defender is still ongoing, and he is not ready for the upcoming preparations. However, goalkeeper Ivan Marcelić, who missed the World Championships in Hungary due to injury, returns to the roster. 

Goalkeepers

Marko Bijač
Toni Popadić
Ivan Marcelić
Jerko Jurlina

Centers

Ivan Krapić
Lovro Paparić
Branimir Herceg
Antonio Dužević

Defenders

Rino Burić
Marko Žuvela
Matias Biljaka
Kristijan Milaković

Attackers

Luka Bukić
Loren Fatović
Konstantin Harkov
Ante Vukičević
Franko Lazić
Jerko Marinić Kragić
Andrija Bašić
Dario Rakovac
Filip Kržić
Ivan Domagoj Zović

Preparation plan:

– July 17-28: basic preparations in Kranj (Slovenia)

– August 1-6: preparations in Šibenik with a Croatia-Hungary friendly scheduled (August 5)

– August 8-10: tournament in Cagliari (Italy) – Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Greece

– August 15-19: preparations in Šibenik

– August 20-22: tournament in Belgrade (Serbia) – Serbia, Croatia, France, Italy

– August 25: final preparations in Split

The first match at the European Championships in Split will be against Malta on August 29 (9 pm).

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

December 18, 2019 - Croatia water polo has received yet another impressive recognition as two team members are among the top seven in the world - Maro Jokovic and Josip Vrlic.

Croatia water polo can end 2019 on a high note thanks to its latest recognition. After Sandro Sukno took the Total Waterpolo Player title in 2017 and Andro Buslje and Luka Loncar found their place in the best lineup in 2018, Croatia again has two players in the top seven in the world.

Namely, after Total Waterpolo published all the votes of the jury and the audience (with 30 international coaches and 18 media representatives), Maro Jokovic finished fifth in the overall ranking with 49 points and found himself among the seven best in the right wing position. In the last two years, Luka Lončar has won the award for the best center forward in the world, while this year, his representative Josip Vrlić earned this honor.

"An exceptional season is behind Maro Jokovic. He has taken on a lot of responsibilities and is definitely the best left-hander in the world right now," coach Ivica Tucak told Total Waterpolo.

"It's just impossible to take on Vrlic from two-meters. It's a real pleasure to play with him," said Felipe Perrone, last year's Total Waterpolo Player Award winner, and former Barceloneta teammate.

In an exciting competition for the Total Waterpolo Player title, the highest vote was won by Hungarian Denes Varga (159) ahead of Italian Francesco Di Fulvio (151). In the women's competition, American national team goalie Ashleigh Johnson convincingly took the title.

Best Seven (Men's):

Goalkeeper - Marco Del Lungo (Italy)

Left Wing - Francesco Di Fulvio (Italy)

Left Driver - Denes Varga (Hungary)

Right Wing- Maro Joković (Croatia)

Right Driver - Filip Filipović (Serbia)

Center Back - Aleksandar Ivović (Montenegro)

Center Forward - Josip Vrlić (Croatia)

Best Seven (Women's):

Goalkeeper - Ashleigh Johnson (USA)

Left Wing - Rita Keszthelyi (Hungary)

Left Driver - Roser Tarrago (Spain)

Right Wing - Arianna Garibotti (Italy)

Right Driver - Maggie Steffens (USA)

Center Back - Hannah Buckling (Australia)

Centar Forward - Maica Garcia Godoy (Spain)

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.