"Hopefully he’s medically fine, but I just hope he can’t throw darts": No mercy for Gerwyn Price against Gian van Veen amid kidney stone issue

Gerwyn Price admits his Premier League campaign has been “a little bit up and down” so far, but remains confident he can secure a Play-Off spot as the competition heads into its second half.

The Welshman sits third in the table at the midway stage and believes he is still in a strong position, despite feeling he has left points behind along the way.

“Yeah, a little bit up and down,” Price said to the media. “Probably some games I’ve lost that I shouldn’t have lost, and there are a couple of points dropped. But yeah, I’m in a decent place.”

Rather than setting a fixed target for qualification, Price is sticking to a simple weekly approach.

“I just target two points each week,” he explained. “At the minute, I think I’m two points behind where I wanted to be. So if I can pick that up in the second half, then yeah, I think it’ll be enough.”

Price arrives in Berlin on the back of a frustrating night in Dublin, where he impressed throughout but fell short in the final from a winning position.

However, the former world champion insists he has quickly moved on—a sign of his evolving mindset. “To be honest, I thought about it after and I was a bit disappointed,” he said. “But the day after, I haven’t thought about it hardly at all, really.

“I had a weekend in bed at home, so I haven’t had time to think about it. I took my mind off it, which was good. Unless someone brings it up, I don’t really think about it. It’s probably something I would have dwelled on in the past, but it’s gone—I’ll move on.”

That shift in mentality, he admits, could be linked to both his current position in the table and a renewed enjoyment of the game. “Maybe it’s because I’m enjoying the game more or my mindset’s a bit different,” he added. “Also, I’m in the top four. If I was fighting to get into the top four, it might be different.

“There are plenty of games left—it wasn’t do or die. It might come back to haunt me, but I’ve got enough games left to pick up points.”

Recent defeats to teenage star Luke Littler have drawn comparisons with Price’s past struggles against Michael van Gerwen, but he was quick to dismiss any similarity. “I don’t think the situation is anything like what it was with Michael,” Price said.

“I’ve been in winning positions—it’s just games that I’ve lost, not because I’m overthinking, just the way the game’s gone.

“If I played Luke today or tomorrow, I’d be confident that I’m going to win. But yeah, it’s nowhere near like it was against Michael. That was a mental battle—it was something I hadn’t done for so long. It was tough to get over the line. But it’s nothing like that with Luke at the minute.”

With the relentless Premier League schedule, Price highlighted the importance of stepping away from the game, having recently enjoyed a short break in Spain.

“It was nice just to get away,” he said. “I was away for three days, had a couple of drinks with the boys on the Sunday, chilled out on the Monday, and came home on Tuesday ready to travel here. It was nice to just put the darts down for a week and relax.”

Like many players, Price acknowledged the growing difficulties around travel, particularly across European events. “Even today, coming through security took quite a while,” he said. “So it is difficult, but it’s what you’ve got to do if you’re travelling to Europe.

“It’s hard to balance it, but what can we do? The tournaments are what they are. If you decide to do the Premier League, World Series, and exhibitions as well, it all adds up. It’s quite busy at the minute.”

He also expects players to continue being selective with Euro Tour appearances. “Some venues are tough to get to, you might have to fly somewhere, then take a train or a long shuttle,” he said. “Boys tend to miss those ones. But if you’re chasing ranking points or trying to qualify for something like the Matchplay, then you have to go.”

Price faces Gian van Veen in Berlin, with the Dutchman returning from a recent kidney stone issue. While sympathetic, Price made it clear there will be no favours on stage. “Yeah, of course I’ve got sympathy,” he said. “I know how tough it is to miss tournaments and lose point, it’s not easy. But I’m up there to win. I’m not there to show mercy to anyone. Hopefully he’s medically fine, but I just hope he can’t throw darts.”

Price added that he will prepare as if facing Van Veen at his best, just as he did against Josh Rock in Dublin. “I know how well he can play,” he said. “So I went into that game as if I was playing the best version of Josh Rock. That’s what I’ll do again.”

The Welshman also weighed in on the ongoing debate around the Premier League format, particularly when players are forced to miss nights. “I don’t think bringing in replacements would be fair,” Price said. “It was the same with challengers—it was a good idea, but unfair because every player is a different level.”

However, he acknowledged the current system has flaws. “If someone is ill, there’s no way to get those points back,” he said. “Someone else might get gifted points, which is a bit unfair. But I don’t know what they’ll do about it. I’ll just keep turning up and playing, I’m not going to moan too much.”