“I just need to give myself a kick up the backside” – Josh Rock laments himself following whitewash win in Budapest

After his emphatic win over Joe Cullen at the Hungarian Darts Trophy, Josh Rock delivered strikingly harsh self-criticism. The Northern Irishman reached the third round in Budapest with a 6-0 victory but admitted afterwards that, since the World Matchplay, he has put far too little time and energy into practice.

Rock had few problems against an under-par Cullen. The world number eight did not drop a single leg and showcased his class with 130 and 116 finishes. Yet ‘Rocky’ was anything but satisfied with how he has handled his game in recent weeks.

“I want to be honest with myself, I haven’t been putting in the time and the effort since the World Matchplay,” the 25-year-old Rock admitted. “I haven’t been doing a lot of practising and it’s been showing on the board.”

According to Rock, the consequences were most evident during his recent trip to Australia and New Zealand. He made the quarterfinals at both the New Zealand Darts Masters and the Australian Darts Masters, but across those two World Series events he posted only one average above 90. “It showed when I was in Australia and New Zealand,” Rock continued. “I need to give myself a kick up the backside and get back on the practice board because it is not very good at the minute.”

Rock is pointedly not looking for excuses for his dip. The former World Youth Champion says the responsibility lies entirely with him.

“I’ve just been very, very lackadaisical when it comes to the practice board. It is my own fault,” he conceded. “I know what I need to do. I just need to give myself a kick up the backside to kick on.”

“I even said to my manager, Rab, don’t expect a big win this week because I haven’t put the time and effort in, which is my fault.”

Against that backdrop, the commanding 6-0 win over Cullen came at a good time. Rock is pleased to have reached the last 16 without trouble. “Obviously, I am very happy to be in the next round and I just need to push on from that.”

He gets that chance straight away on Sunday afternoon. In the third round of the Hungarian Darts Trophy, ‘Rocky’ faces Chris Dobey in Budapest. The winner moves into the quarterfinals.

Rock krijgt daar zondagmiddag direct de gelegenheid voor. In de derde ronde van de Hungarian Darts Trophy neemt ‘Rocky’ het in Boedapest op tegen Chris Dobey. De winnaar van die partij plaatst zich voor de kwartfinales.