"I’m going to be in this game for 35 years, so this won’t be my best year" - Josh Rock sends out ominous message to rivals
PDC
Josh Rock is currently having the season of his life, but he has stated that the best is yet to come. The Northern Irishman had travelled to Manchester among with many other darting icons to be apart of the 2025 Target Launch, with him revealing that he had cancelled previous plans to be here.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Oh absolutely amazing. Especially opening up the shop for everybody like this," Rock said in an interview with Online Darts. "I’m glad I was here – I wasn’t even meant to be, I had other stuff going on, but I cancelled and thought, I’m going straight to the Target launch. I wanted to show my face for Gary obviously – he’s been massive for me and my career. It’s been absolutely fantastic.
"I’ll buy the whole shop! I’ve actually got Phil’s new ones – they look quite nice, so I’ll just keep them because they look nice."
Whistles in Amsterdam still on his mind
2025 has been an outstanding year for Josh Rock. He is constantly hitting mammoth averages, making finals of Pro and European Tours, going on deep runs in majors, and capped it all off by winning the World Cup with fellow countryman Daryl Gurney in a historic night for Northern Ireland.
The 24-year-old is extremely happy at where his game currently is, but expects much more to come in the future. "Yes, at the moment these are the darts of my career," he said. "But I’m only getting better – I’m going to be in this game for 35 years, so this won’t be my best year! But right now, yeah, this is my best year so far."
Read also
With the ups comes the inevitable downs. He was defeated by Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals of the World Series of Darts Finals, losing six of the last seven legs after he was put off by a chorus of distracting whistles and jeers. He was left fuming after the match about this, and has still not got it off his chest.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It’s different when it’s 3,500–4,000 fans whistling – that’s one consistent noise and you can deal with it. But when it’s just one person whistling, it’s not fair. In my opinion, they should be thrown out straight away. It was a crucial point in the game. I was going for a double to keep the score close with Michael – I was competing with him easily enough. But then whoever that numpty was whistled, and I gave the sarcastic thumbs up. It puts it in your head and it’s hard to shake off. The frustration definitely lingered.
"Someone needs to have the guts to say, 'It was him,' and throw them out – whether it’s me or not being targeted. Because it ruins it for everybody. People come to watch us perform – nine-darters, big finishes, great games – not listen to some numpty whistling.
When asked if he could get used to it, Rock said: "Probably not. You never know when to expect it. Sometimes I’d miss a double and nothing happened, and then at a crucial moment – bang – someone whistles. That’s what gets to you."
Despite this, he was happy that van Gerwen went on to win the title, finding his best form again. "It’s obviously good for Michael. We all go through ups and downs in our careers and he’s had a big one. That long term might have kept him away, but it looks like he’s back – especially when he’s in Holland, he just seems to turn it on," Rock said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Premier League on the horizon
With this upturn in form, Rocky is considered one of the massive favourites to feature in the 2026 Premier League. Three major semi-finals along with the World Cup win has left him in a very advantageous position to take that next stride in his career, but that is not on his mind for now, as he said: "I just laugh at it. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing – going further in majors, playing consistently – and hopefully, fingers crossed, things happen naturally.
16-time World Champion Phil Taylor recently lauded Rock in an interview, putting him forward as the second person on the list to be in the prestigious event. Rocky was delighted with this compliment, as he said: "Massive confidence. The first time I met Phil was in a hotel – we sat talking for two or three hours. He told me, “If you’re not on it next year, there’s something wrong.” To hear that from the greatest of all time – it means the world. I looked up to him as a kid, so I was a bit nervous speaking to him, but he’s just a normal bloke."
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026