“I’ve partly fallen out of love with darts” – Candid Joe Cullen opens up on difficult spell

In Northampton, during a relaxed exhibition evening, Joe Cullen was unusually candid about his current form, his frustrations, and how his relationship with the sport that made him has shifted.

Fresh off a run of Players Championships and – as is so often the case late in the year – buried in a hectic spell of tournaments, travel days, and commercial commitments, ‘The Rockstar’ still took his time to both reflect and look ahead.

Cullen visibly enjoys nights like these. Exhibitions are a welcome change of pace for many top players, and he’s no different. “You don’t feel the pressure like you do on the Pro Tour,” he says in conversation with Online Darts. “You can have a laugh, you can relax, and you see how much the fans enjoy it. That’s what makes it fun. And honestly, sometimes I need these nights to keep a bit of rhythm.”

Despite the enjoyable setting, the underlying theme remains serious: his form has been inconsistent, and it annoys him. “One day I feel great, the next day I throw terribly,” Cullen admitted. “Sometimes I don’t know how I’m going to play when I walk on stage.”

He referenced one match in particular: “Against Ricky Evans on the European Tour I felt fantastic beforehand. Better than I had in a long time. Then I probably threw the worst darts of my season. That sums my year up perfectly.”

Even so, Cullen still managed to win two titles this year — a remarkable stat given his own dissatisfaction with his play. “There are guys who’ve been really consistent but haven’t picked up a title. I’d rather be consistent, but I’ve got two titles. So it’s still in there somewhere.”

Cullen missed the Grand Slam of Darts again, a tournament he describes as a “love-hate relationship”. He wasn’t shocked, but he didn’t shy away from criticism either. “The PDC knows the criteria don’t work. They couldn’t change it this year, but next year they will — they have to.”

With the expansion to 48 players and 16 groups, Cullen expects the world’s top 16 to become automatic group seeds. “That would make sense. But how they fill the rest? No idea. We’ll have to see what the PDC comes up with, but they usually get it right.”

One recurring discussion in the sport is whether top-16 players receive too much protection. Cullen has seen both sides: years inside the elite, and now outside it. “It’s fifty-fifty,” he said. “Yeah, the top 16 deserve protection. But it’s also true they’re more protected now than they used to be. When I was in the top 16, it wasn’t as much.”

But he knows no rule will please everybody. “The players who just miss out on qualification are always the loudest.”

On the floor, nobody is really talking about big names missing tournaments. Not about Michael van Gerwen skipping Minehead, nor about Luke Humphries or Nathan Aspinall having wobbles.

“Nobody really cares,” Cullen said plainly. “We’re all selfish in this sport. I want my mates to do well, but ultimately I think about myself — and so do they.”

Players often get criticised for skipping Pro Tours, but Cullen called that out. “Fans think top players hardly play, but they play plenty. Sometimes more than people realise.”

Earlier this year Cullen and Johnny Clayton faced criticism for their less than positive comments on Hildesheim — one of the regular Pro Tour venues. But Cullen insists they’re far from alone.

“I reckon 19 out of 20 top British players think the same, they just don’t say it out loud. It’s not a big deal: if you don’t want to go, you don’t go. That’s how the PDC has worked for years.”

The irony isn’t lost on him. “I slagged Hildesheim off, then went and won a title there to qualify for the World Grand Prix. People have reminded me often enough.”

The most striking moment of the evening came when Cullen spoke about his passion for darts — or the lack of it. “I don’t enjoy it like I used to,” he admitted. “I used to look forward to tournaments. Now I mainly look forward to being with the lads. That’s not good if you want to reach the top.”

The reasons, he says, are both professional and personal. “There are guys with less talent than me but who’ve got a hundred times more hunger. You feel that in matches. That’s when I struggle.”

He pointed to Wessel Nijman as an example of a player who “loves the game and shows it”. The rise of Luke Littler, he added, has boosted enthusiasm among younger players even further. “You can earn millions now if you’re good enough. That attracts a whole new generation.”

When asked whether the hunger could return, Cullen hesitated.

“It’s not gone, it’s more… dormant. In the World Championship match against Wessel I suddenly felt it again. But you can’t force that every match, especially not on some random floor event in Leicester.”

“I’ve got to find that middle ground. I used to be good on the floor and bad on TV, then it swapped. Now I need to get both back.”

With the Players Championship Finals up next, Cullen’s focus is gradually shifting towards Alexandra Palace. He has a lot of prize money to defend and knows what’s at stake. “Thirty-five grand is a lot. I need to be sharp. Maybe a tough draw will help — it might switch me on.”

Exhibitions like Northampton help keep him in rhythm. “If I have two weeks off, I don’t practise enough. I know that about myself.”

The 2026 calendar includes new European Tour stops like Krakow, and Cullen is looking forward to it. “Everyone I speak to raves about Poland. I’m taking my wife. We also want to visit Auschwitz — it’s been on my list for a long time.”

But he knows next season can’t start slowly. “I’m defending a lot. I can’t afford a bad start.”