SERBIA Rugby League bosses have presented their first Hall of Fame caps, with general secretary Vladan Kikanovic among 30 recognised.
Entrants to the select group have either been involved with the national team across a ten-year spell, played 30 or more internationals or gone above the call of duty for the governing body.
Each has been given a hall of fame number which features on their cap.
Presentations were made at the Liga Bar in central Belgrade following the men’s international against the Netherlands by Jason Costigan, the Australian commentator who was fresh from calling the match.
John Risman, the lifetime honorary president of Serbia Rugby League, will receive his cap at home in the coming weeks.
The other recipients were Budimir Tomanovic, Jovan Vujosevic, Radoslav Novakovic, Blagoje Stoiljkovic, Leonard Mcmain, Dragan Pavlovic, Zoran Pesic, Vojislav Dedic, Dzavid Jasari, Vladislav Dedic, Vladica Nikolic, Lazar Zivkovic, Stevan Stevanovic, Slobodan Manak, Milos Calic, Stefan Nedeljkovic, Milos Zogovic, Admir Hadzic, Rajko Trifunovic, Zeljko Delic, Jasmin Bibic, Milivoje Stamenkovic, Marija Maslakovic, Aleksandar Milosevic, Milos Kucancanin, Mark Pullen, Colin Kleyweg and Milos Stamenkovic.
While the national federation was formed in 2001, the game was first played in Serbia in the 1950s.
There are now around 1,000 players in the country, one of only five International Rugby League full members in Europe alongside England, France, Ukraine and Wales.
The Serbia men’s team have twice won the European Championship B tournament since Featherstone Lions’ Darren Fisher became coach in 2021, and have climbed as high as eighth in the world rankings.
But they were beaten by both Ukraine and Netherlands in last month’s competition to drop to Euro C.
