Last weekend, the Fehérvár Enthroners celebrated their first victory in dominant fashion, beating the Prague Lions 38-6. Now, the Hungarian franchise looks to build upon the positive momentum. In an interview, standout linebacker János Zilai talks about the first win of the season, the week leading up to it and what is next for the Enthroners. 

ELF: János Zilai, last week you and your team got your first win of the season. There were tons of pictures of you celebrating and giving your head coach a Gatorade shower. What kind of experience was that?

János Zilai: Winning this game felt like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. We worked hard for a long time, always did our best to learn from failures, and also had to get over being unlucky, so this win gave us reassurance that we are on a good way.

ELF: You guys were flying around the field and seemingly having fun, all while putting in a dominant perfomance. How would you explain that turnaround?

Zilai: All we needed was to start believing in ourselves, and start playing so. We came through a lot of adversity in the first half of the season and now we managed to take our eyes off of all these distractions outside the field, so we could do our job the way we do it.

János Zilai during the game against the Prague Lions ©Petra Kutasi

ELF: The start of the season did not go according to plan, but now the win could provide some momentum. How do you approach the rest of the season?

Zilai: Enjoying the game is a must, and now we can take that momentum to help us get through our fights. Our defense will still go all out in every play, just so our offense can keep improving and play games like they did in Prague.

ELF: Thanks! Best of luck to you and your team!