24/02/2022

Mardle praises work off the oche from Cullen and Humphries: "Darts needs these youngsters coming through that are looking good"

With darts becoming more a game of stamina now and playing long arduous days on the ProTour and European Tour in particular having that edge in terms of physical and mental preparation will help.

For Wayne Mardle, he points out two players in particular in Joe Cullen and Luke Humphries as example to follow in terms of losing weight and getting themselves right off the oche who are now reaping the rewards.

Cullen joins exclusive club with double Players Championship success

"Luke Humphries has lost a lot of weight. He's as fit as he's probably been as a human being and he feels a million dollars because he's winning. Life is great," Mardle told the Sky Sports Darts Podcast.

"Darts needs these youngsters coming through that are looking good.

"If you've watch the seniors that have been recently on, you don't have to be fit to win darts events, but you have to be darts fit, you have to be match-fit.

"Phil (Taylor) got caught out and a few others got caught out and I know it's the seniors, but it's the same all round darts. If you're not match-fit, you've got no chance.

"You can be unfit in regards of struggling day-to-day running about but darts fit is being ready for that 20-minute spurt to win a best of 11, then resting for an hour and then doing it again.

"After that last game, you're absolutely battered and fatigued. Your body is used to that."

"Now Joe (Cullen) is in the Premier League, he feels like the elite and when he won his first game on Night Two, he came off and said to me and Mark Webster 'that's a relief' and it's since then that he's looked a different animal," added 'Hawaii 501'.

"Even his poor games are not bad enough to get beat as they used to be. He's more consistent. His level hasn't risen, he's just more consistent.

"I think he's going to go from strength to strength. I'm not going to say major after major, but he's seen the Premier League as 'look at me, I'm in the elite and I'll show you how good I am' and he's doing a good job."