"Quick hug, out the door into the Uber and probably a few tears": Damon Heta still struggles to return to UK after World Series homecoming

Damon Heta admitted there will be “a few tears” when he boards the plane back to the UK after his run at the New Zealand Darts Masters – but says the sacrifices are worth it as he continues to live out his darting dream.

The Aussie star sealed his place in the next round despite a self-confessed below-par display against Dean Reyland, and will now turn his attention to tomorrow’s action in Auckland.

“Yeah, it’s like ripping off a Band-Aid every time,” Heta said of leaving home in his post match press conference. “It’s a quick hug, I’m out the door into the Uber, and probably a few tears… don’t tell anybody! It is what it is. I’m living the dream at the moment – playing darts for a living beats roofing, and I get to see the world. I’ve got a really good life going on. If I’m whinging about small things like that, then everything’s pretty good for me.”

Heta has been back on home soil for the annual World Series double-header in Australia and New Zealand, something he looks forward to every year. “I’m really grateful every year we get to do the World Series Down Under,” he said. “It’s a trip home I always leave early for. I missed two events, which I still watched like an idiot – I should be spending that time with family and friends. I just always see it as missed opportunities not being there, which is my mindset. I should be taking time off – it’s probably better for me mentally – but that’s my work-driven ethic.”

The 36-year-old also spoke about how valuable these events are in breaking up the long UK-based season. “Maybe even regardless of the darts, I’d probably end up going home anyway,” he said. “I normally go home after the Worlds when we’ve got that bit of a break. Getting to see family and friends is a massive bonus, and being able to play darts down here as a professional is brilliant. But as the years go on, people move on – family, friends, everyone. My life is pretty much set up in the UK now, and that’s just how it is. I’m living the dream and riding the waves.”

Reflecting on the win over Dean Reyland, Heta admitted he struggled to find his rhythm. “I just wasn’t concentrated,” he said. “The more I tried to concentrate, probably the worse the darts went. I got a few legs up and started thinking about things – probably just had too much time, which was a bit silly. I didn’t know Dean from a bar of soap, so if he had turned up and played like he can, I might have turned up and played a better game. But I just had too much time to think and it didn’t really happen.”

When asked if it’s harder to focus when an opponent isn’t pushing you, Heta agreed: “Yeah, it is. You start hearing the crowd more and you phase out for a little bit. When things are going well you just flow with it and you can’t do any wrong. But when someone’s not throwing anything back and you’re not throwing much better yourself, you just rely on what you normally do – and it just didn’t happen tonight. At the end of the day, you get the win, you’re onto tomorrow, and tomorrow’s a completely different day.”

The New Zealand leg has moved to Auckland this year after being held at Hamilton’s Claudelands Arena, and Heta says the new venue is shaping up well. “Claudelands was always really good, so it’s hard to match that,” he said. “I think tomorrow night there’ll be a lot more crowd attendance, and it’ll be electric – as Claudelands always was. From a player’s perspective, being in Auckland is great. I think a lot of players who’ve been down in Hamilton are happy to be here in the major city. There’s a lot of facilities around and you don’t have to go too far.”

Heta also touched on the huge commitment it takes for players from Australia and New Zealand to move to the UK to pursue their careers. “For me, I don’t have kids and I don’t plan to – and neither does my wife – so that’s one massive obstacle I’ve avoided,” he said. “But you look at other people like Haupai and GG – if you’ve got kids, especially a young family, that’s massive. You’re relying on so much, and you have to make darts work. I don’t want to say I got lucky, but I put in the hard work and got some wins early on. My career’s gone on an upward curve and things have happened for me. For someone like them, they’ve had the tail end of the stick – more experience of sacrifice and getting the raw end of the deal. They’re the ones to speak to about when it doesn’t quite happen.”