MARDLE PRAISES HUMPHRIES FOR MAJOR GAME CHANGE
05/05/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
WAYNE MARDLE has praised Luke Humphries for looking “more composed” after switching to a slower throwing action.
Cool Hand reached his second nightly final of the campaign on Night 13 of the Premier League in Aberdeen before losing to Luke Littler.
The world No.2 impressed throughout the night, averaging over 99 across his three matches as he beat Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen to reach the final.
Former pro Mardle believes Humphries’ measured approach has brought him greater control and could prove a turning point in his campaign.
He said: “There is no way he came into tonight confident. We know it because he changed his rhythm.
“You don’t change anything when you are firing on all cylinders. He is looking for something and has found something.
“If he gets battered in this final, the easiest thing to do is revert back to your natural state.
“Revert back to type; that is what we do as humans.
“When we have confirmation, and it will be confirmation bias as well, it will be recency bias because it is the last matches that you play.
“Your brain will literally say to you that is great, it works, let’s carry on. Or ultimately, I failed.
“I’m hoping that he sticks with it because he has looked more composed to me with the slower way of play.
“I was a bit like Glen [Durrant], I didn’t like it earlier. But I can change my mind, and I do really like what he is doing now.
“Full credit to him because it is not simple, and everyone will be judging like I was in the commentary box.
“Oh, why is he doing this? He is out of rhythm, he is out of routine, he is out of sync.
“He wasn’t at all. He knows what he is doing with his game.”
Humphries now sits sixth in the table, just two points off the Play-Off places, with three nights of the regular season remaining.
The former world champ returns to action this Thursday and will face Josh Rock in Leeds.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
