KNZB Supercup captains (m) have the same goal; ‘’We want to win everything’’

On Saturday, the men of ZV de Zaan and GZC Donk will meet each other in the Amerena in Amersfoort for the KNZB Supercup. At the end of May, the Zaandam players were crowned national champions against the men of Donk. Together with De Zaan captain Thomas Lucas and GZC Donk captain Cas Westerwoudt, we look back on the past season and discuss the ambitions of the teams for the coming year.

Changes in the teams

Jacopo Mandolini has retired from De Zaan and Ted Huijsmans has left for PSV. Julian van Oorschodt and Tim Steenbeek are the new signings for the team from Zaanstad. According to Lucas, the championship team has undergone a nice growth.
 

''The championship was the reward for the path taken in the previous years. Last year it had to happen. We had one goal,were ready for it and played the role of favorite, butyou still have to make that happen. Two years ago we still lacked experience. Due to all the finals played and the development of the players, we were no longer tense with tension last May like we were at the first final. We know exactly what is expected of us in an important match’’, says the motivated Lucas, who started at AZ&PC Amersfoort at the age of eight and subsequently played for ASC Duisburg, Borculo, Szentes, CN Mataro, Nuoto Catania and is now starting his sixth season with the team from Zaandam.

There have also been a number of changes at GZC Donk this summer. Yuri Szeles is the new head coach, Bendegúz Dániel Bognár came over from SVH and international Guus van IJperen returned to Gouda after his CN Sabadell period, where he won bronze in the Euro Cup in May and played in the final of the Spanish championship. According to captain Westerwoudt, the team is in a growth process.

‘’After we lost the final, we had a period of rest and we started training on August 10. Ingmar has stepped down as head coach and with Guus back from Spain plus the arrival of Bendegúz, a lot has changed in terms of structure. The coach has a clear plan and there is a new, positive breath of fresh air during training and in the group," explains the 29-year-old captain, who started at ZPC Rotterdam and has been playing for Donk since he was fifteen.

Getting match fit

Both teams used the Opening tournament in Leiden to work on their fitness. The captains see the Supercup as an excellent measuring moment.

‘’We were busy swimming a lot until the opening tournament and then came the interval sessions. We worked hard to get back in the water as fit as possible,’’ says Westerwoudt.

Lucas adds. ‘’We were inactive for a few weeks but we have now been back in action for six weeks. Swimming fitness is of course something different than competition fitness, haha. We noticed it in the duels, the tilting and the throwing, but we have made great progress in that."

Objectives

Thanks to the experience gained, the objective of this season is clear for the players of champion De Zaan. 

‘’We are going for four prizes this year; the KNZB Supercup, the national championship, the KNZB cup and the Challenger Cup. We are not getting anything for free, that also applies to the match on Saturday. We are going all out for the win. We have trained hard and we are really doing well, before the tournament in Leiden we already had excellent swimming times. On to more!’’

According to Westerwoudt, the team has undergone good development in the past period. The growth process does not stand in the way of the objectives for this season. He is clear about what the team wants to achieve.

‘’Due to the changes, the automatisms have to be sharpened again. That does not happen overnight. We have made a lot of progress, both individually and as a team. The atmosphere, energy and mindset are good. The Super Cup is indeed a great measuring moment, but we want and have to win this match. That is also the objective for the coming season; We train to win everything, nothing less.’’ 

On Saturday, the women of Polar Bears and ZV De Zaan will play at 7 p.m. The match between defending champion GZC Donk and national champion ZV De Zaan starts at 20:30. Tickets can be purchased via this link. The livestreams will be broadcast on the KNZB channel of Eyecons and on the Youtube channel of De Zaan.