ROCK REVEALS HOW HE AVOIDED PREMIER LEAGUE PAIN DERAILING HIS SEASON
24/06/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
JOSH ROCK says being “mentally strong” helped him avoid letting a difficult Premier League campaign derail the rest of his season.
The Northern Irishman finished bottom of the table on his debut in the competition, winning just four matches across 16 weeks.
But Rocky bounced back impressively elsewhere, reaching the UK Open semi-finals and winning the Austrian Darts Open.
Looking back on his Premier League experience, the 25-year-old admitted he had underestimated the demands of the schedule.
He told the Love the Darts Podcast: “Obviously, I’ve watched it for years, whenever Phil [Taylor], Michael [van Gerwen] were in the Premier League when it first started.
“Being a kid, watching darts, you just thought they turned up.
“Then obviously being involved in it, it’s not just a matter of turning up, it’s just constant travel. So, it’s very tough. You have to be mentally strong, I think.
“I’m just grateful I’m mentally strong when it comes to all that side of things.”
Rock also revealed the huge crowds took time to adjust to compared to regular tour events.
He added: “I’ve just learned it’s obviously bigger crowds and stuff because it’s got a completely different atmosphere and noise that you hear behind you.
“If that makes sense, because the likes of obviously, say, for the Euro Tours, there’s only 2,500, 3,000, which is very more compact.
“Whenever you’re going into these big arenas that have 12,000, 14,000, 17,000, it’s a lot different to process.”
Rock ensured his form in the weekly roadshow did not spill over into other tournaments.
Asked how he managed that, he again pointed to his mentality: “Touched on it before, because I believe I’m mentally strong.
“You have to be mentally strong in this game to succeed, and I think I’m doing an okay job of being like that.”
World No8 Rock’s strong performances elsewhere have kept him on course for another breakthrough year and he has set his sights on climbing even higher in the rankings.
He continued: “Try and win an individual Major that would be nice, but the main goal is to try and get into the top four.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
