PRICE SUFFERING FROM "MOTIVATIONAL SLUMP"

GERWYN PRICE could walk away from darts because he goes through a “motivational slump” every year.

The former World Champ has won the European Grand Prix this year but has been the cusp of a major title for the past few years.

Price, 41, recently admitted that he “can’t be bothered” with the sport due to distractions at home, having recently purchased a farm.

German star Florian Hempel said on the Game On podcast that he believes Price isn’t “100 per cent into darts”.

He stated: “Price seems to go through a kind of motivational slump every year, usually at the beginning of the season.

“The Premier League, in particular, has never really been his strongest period. He’s a very temperamental player who regularly struggles with motivation, yet he still plays excellent darts.

“He's always in the mix and usually goes quite deep in tournaments, but he just can't seem to take that final step and win a major title.

"Right now, it looks like he's not 100 percent into darts and has found something outside the sport that really motivates him.

“And Gerwyn Price is also the kind of person I could genuinely imagine walking away from the game overnight. He's the type who'd probably just say, ‘You know what? I don't feel like it anymore’.

“For him—as for all the top players—the second half of the year is much more important than the first. The UK Open and the World Cup of Darts are great titles, but most players are far more motivated by the World Grand Prix, the World Matchplay, and, of course, the World Championship.

“Price’s motivational slump usually comes during the first half of the year, before he starts preparing for the tournaments that really matter.

“He's not playing badly at all. He's just not getting the results right now. His game isn't in a bad place—he's simply missing that major title.”

Hempel, a former Handball player, has lost out at the Ally Pally to Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting and Daryl Gurney in recent years.

He reckons Price’s other sporting past has an impact, adding: “I think darts is actually his second love. His first love is definitely rugby. I still remember when they were in Australia for the World Series. He and Jonny Clayton had a rugby ball in their hands, and his eyes just lit up. He was as excited as a little kid.

“Rugby will always be Gerwyn Price's true love. Darts is a fantastic sport for him, a great outlet and a great replacement, because he's been far more successful at it and can earn a lot more money. But at the end of the day, it's his job—a job he doesn't always feel like doing. And let's be honest, we've all felt that way sometimes.”

Words by Phil Lanning

Images by Taylor Lanning