Is it time Premier League Darts introduced a reserve player? Gian van Veen missed Dublin after needing surgery to remove kidney stones, with the Dutchman then thrashed by Gerwyn Price in Berlin on Thursday.
Van Veen, a World Championship finalist in January, made the trip to Germany for Night Eight despite feeling fatigued and having low energy levels.
The 23-year-old back-to-back World Youth champion also sat out the European Tour tournament in Belgium but suffered a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals at the Uber Arena.
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There has been renewed discussions around the Premier League format following the night in Dublin, where Van Veen’s withdrawal allowed opponent Michael van Gerwen to receive a bye to the semi-finals.
Van Gerwen also received two league points and a +1 leg difference while Van Veen surrenders a -6 leg difference and no points.
It has reignited debate over whether a ‘Contenders’ and ‘Challengers’ concept should be reintroduced to maintain the structure of the evening. The concept – first introduced in 2019 – delivered some of the most memorable moments in Premier League history, with local players given a one-night opportunity to perform in front of home crowds.
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“I think that would be totally unfair,” Welshman Price said. When you had the challengers, it was a good idea but unfair to the players that are playing the challengers.
“Every player is a different standard, and one person could play Fallon Sherrock, someone could play Chris Dobey, someone could play Luke Humphries, like I did.
“I think if you’re looking at the problems with the format, at the minute where it is probably a little bit repetitive and if someone is ill, then there’s no way of trying to get those points back.
“If they miss a week, somebody gets gifted points, which is a little bit unfair but I’m not sure what they’re going to do about it.”
Webster: It cost van Gerwen from making Play-Offs
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Speaking on Love The Darts podcast, former Lakeside champion Mark Webster called the idea “tricky” but acknowledged the fact that a shoulder injury did ultimately cost Michael van Gerwen a Play-Off spot last year.
“I get the idea, but I just don’t know how you do it,” he said. “Who you get and obviously the players are going to be of a different level to say Gian [when he pulled out in Dublin]. It’s not an equal contest anyway so it’s tricky.
“It happened last year and it’s happened a couple of times this year and it could be pivotal come the Play-Offs, so you don’t know how it’s going to pan out. It cost Van Gerwen last year, missing out on the Play-Offs when he was given a 6-0 defeat because he couldn’t make Berlin.
“In an ideal scenario, you want to see all the players play in the opening quarter-finals and if you get a reserve in it does get that player fine-tuned. There’s an argument some people say the player would rather play but that’s rubbish. They’ll take the bye any day of the week in the Premier League and take two points. I don’t know what the answer is.
“From a crowd point of view, they want to see someone, but the player would think ‘I’ve got that bit of luck, I want to run with it’.”
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Laura Turner added: “We used to have ‘Challengers’ and ‘Contenders’ so when you’re playing someone different each week, is it fair? Is it balanced? If that player then beats you and goes on to win the night, does that then transfer into points or do they just play an exhibition-type match?
“From a crowd point of view, they want to see the whole thing pan out, but it’s just how you go about it if it’s an option the PDC want to consider.”
O’Connor backs calls for the return of Premier League ‘Challengers’
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William O’Connor pointed to his own experience when he was selected as a ‘Challenger’ for an iconic 2020 Premier League night in Dublin.
He told Tungsten Tales: “It’s definitely something to be talked about, especially when a player pulls out. I mean, why not have a local?
“It makes sense not to have a bye. Whether there’s points on the line or not at least fill the void for the crowd and have a home player to give everyone something to cheer about. Makes sense to me.”
What’s happening on Premier League Night Nine in Manchester?
The BetMGM Premier League season continues with Night Nine in Manchester next Thursday, as world No 1 Luke Littler continues his pursuit of a fourth nightly crown against Van Veen, in a repeat of January’s World Championship showpiece.
Van Gerwen and Stephen Bunting go head-to-head in the evening’s opener, Price faces Luke Humphries, while Jonny Clayton and Josh Rock lock horns in the quarter-finals for a second consecutive week.
Littler boasts a two-point lead over Clayton at the top of the table, with Price and Van Gerwen occupying third and fourth spots respectively.
Humphries is two points adrift of Van Gerwen in fifth, with Van Veen, Bunting and Rock also among the chasing pack.
Ranking points are awarded per night – with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists – to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday May 28.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries will be defending his title and you can watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
