Gerwyn Price channelling positivity into his renewed Premier League vigour

If there is one thing that Gerwyn Price is radiating lately it is positivity and he is using that feeling to push him to play his best darts in the Premier League.

Since the World Darts Championship, Price has been refreshed and displaying all the right signs up on the stage, admitting his darts are feeling the best they have been in a long time.

The 2021 world champion even stayed enthusiastic after a Premier League opening-night quarter-final exit in Belfast in a 6-4 loss to Chris Dobey, quickly taking to social media to thank the crowd for their “amazing support”.

While he cannot pinpoint exactly what has changed for him, he credits working with a sports psychologist for the “different energy” he feels in the Premier League for 2025.

“I think I’ve been in this tournament since 2018. Obviously 2021, when I won the World Championship, I tested positive for COVID, so that’s the only year I’ve missed,” Price said.

“But every year it’s just been like, here we go again, and it just feels different this year. I don’t know if it’s to do with a sports psychologist or missing a lot of tournaments last year and dropping down the rankings.

“I’m not sure what it is, but I just feel different, lot more positive energy around me. I just feel a lot more focused as well.”

While Price has dealt with hostile crowds more often than most when on the big stages, this was not something he felt he needed to discuss with his sports psychologist.

Rather, they delved into the levels he can reach and reminded the Welshman just how good a player he can be.

“We didn’t really talk about crowds. We talked about me and what I bring to the stage,” he added.

“The psychologist I was speaking to is a darts fan and and he reminded me that as well as darts players, we’re entertainers, we need to enjoy it while we’re up there.

“It just reminded me of things that I’ve done in the past, and how well I have played, how well I can play and how much I can improve.

“And just by talking to someone and someone giving you a bit of good comments and positivity just really helps sometimes.”

Step out of limelight a ‘kick up the backside’

The talk over the last 12 months in darts has been focused on 18-year-old world champion Luke Littler and his rivalries with the likes of world No 1 Luke Humphries and fellow 2025 World Darts Championship finalist Michael van Gerwen.

For Price, the lack of attention and drop out of those conversations has given him the boost to ensure he is one of the top performers, even motivating him to put more hours in on the practice board.

“Probably having that step back from the limelight has helped and it probably gives you a kick up a backside of thinking you need to get yourself back in it this year,” Price said.

“I’m not huge on practice (time-wise), but I have put a lot more time in on the board. So things are looking good and games are going in the right direction.

“It is good to have a good feeling. I think I slipped up in the Bahrain Darts Masters. I lost 8-4 against Stephen (Bunting), then I sort of run out of gas a little bit and did the same again against Rob Cross (in the Dutch Darts Masters). I just felt a little bit tired in that game.

“But apart from feeling tired and going out and losing in the final, I felt good, and I felt good in the Masters last week, but just same old story. I am missing a couple of doubles and just letting people off. And it’s a bit frustrating.

“But I think the deeper this tournament goes now, I’m playing a lot more week in, week out, competitive thoughts that I’ll get better.

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