“It’s nice now that the crowd realise I’m not a bad character” – Gerwyn Price pleased with the crowd’s change of heart after years of torment

Gerwyn Price was recently a guest on PDC referee Huw Ware’s Tops & Tales podcast. The Welshman looked back on his relationship with the crowd over the years, his previous career as a professional rugby player, and his clash with Gary Anderson in the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts final.

“I play my darts with my heart on my sleeve,” says Price. “I’ve always done that. I don’t feel like I’ve changed, and I haven’t tried to change.”

For five, six, seven years he took heavy flak from the crowd. Boos, hostile atmospheres, constant tension. Yet he remained the same player. “The crowd seem to be liking me now, which is nice, and I’ll just keep carrying on doing what I’m doing."

Price admits he’s not a natural smooth talker. Maybe even shy. But he’s never been afraid to show himself. “I am who I am. If my personality or the way I am has changed over the last couple of months, it’s not something I’ve tried — it’s just something that happens.”

Long before he became a world champion in darts, rugby was everything to Gerwyn Price. As for so many in Wales, it started early. I can remember when I was about five years old and mini rugby started up in Markham — under sevens or under eights. I had to wait a year or two before I could even play, but as soon as I was old enough, that’s all I ever wanted to do."

His father played rugby, the village breathed rugby, and Wales played rugby. Price came through the full youth system, played for district teams, and even made Wales Under-21. The next step—the senior international level—just didn’t come.

"From about 18 to 22 or 23, I probably didn’t help myself,” he admits. "I preferred being out on the pitch rather than training. I’d sometimes turn up for Wales Under-21s training after a night out on a Saturday — which isn’t very professional."

With today’s mentality, he thinks his life would have looked very different. "If I had the mindset I’ve got now, I probably would’ve made it in rugby, and I might not be playing darts at all. Everything happens for a reason, but would I turn the clock back and try harder? Yeah, I probably would."

That obsession never disappeared. It just shifted. “I hate losing,” says Price. "I don’t care if it’s the World Championship final, a game of pool, cards, or darts down the pub — I want to win."

That winning mentality also translates into emotion on stage. Price celebrates legs exuberantly, roars, and throws his arms in the air. “Whether it’s rugby or darts, I give 110%. If you saw me score a try in rugby, chucking the ball in the air, it’s exactly the same as what I do on stage. It’s nothing against anyone — it’s personal."

He has tried to rein it in. “That didn’t work. It affected my game. So I stopped. This is me.”

Public opinion around Price definitively shifted after the notorious Grand Slam final against Gary Anderson in 2018. Price acknowledges he played a part in it. "Before that, my personality was exactly the same. After that, it became a problem — maybe because Gary had such a big fan base."

It hurt even more because the current world number 12 had always been a big Anderson fan. “I’m a massive fan of Gary. He was one of my favourite players before I even turned pro. "But from that match, things slipped out of control. Anderson’s huge following didn’t make things easier."

Still, Price stayed true to himself. “Before and after 2018 I’ve been the same. "I’ve been the same before and after — and it’s nice now that the crowd realise I’m not a bad character."

Remarkably, his best years came when the crowd was most against him. “It's weird because in 2020-2021, when the crowd was probably at their worst,was when I'd done my best,” says Price. "I won the World Championship, I won the Grand Prix, I won Pro Tour Player of the Year, Supporters Player of the Year."

He calls it a paradox. “When everyone was against me, I had to completely shut it out. That worked. But I don’t want that feeling back. If the crowd is behind me now, I hope my form matches it again.”

His world title remains a strange chapter. The sporting pinnacle, emotionally incomplete. The worst part wasn’t the crowd — it was not having my family there."

Afterwards he couldn’t do any of the things that come with a world title. "There was no parade, everything was shut down. I couldn’t take the trophy to the pub, my local club, or my old school. That’s what I want — to share that moment properly."

That’s also his motivation to do it again someday. “Not just for the crowd, but to truly experience that moment with family and friends.”

The road to that world title was anything but simple. Price recalls crucial moments: Jamie Lewis miscounting on 48, last-leg deciders against Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney, a 3-1 deficit in sets against Stephen Bunting in the semifinal.

"Funny enough, the final against Gary was probably the most comfortable I felt — even though I bombed loads of chances," he says. "I was thinking, 'If I mess this up, will I ever get another chance?'"