PHIL TAYLOR has revealed the one darts ace that he believes could become one of the best if they overcome fan jeers.
The Power has an eye for talent at the oche, having won 16 world championships during his glittering career.
Phil Taylor believes that Josh Rock has plenty of potentialRex
GettyThe Power reckons he could be in with a shout for next year’s Premier League lineup[/caption]
Taylor, 65, believes that Josh Rock has the potential to become “one hell of a player” in the future.
However, he has insisted that the Northern Irish thrower, 24, must overcome the pressure that mounts from the crowds.
Taylor hit out at those who whistle while players are at the oche.
He brought up Rock’s potential when he was asked about Michael van Gerwen‘s success at the World Series of Darts Finals.
Taylor was adamant that he was not surprised by Van Gerwen’s victory despite his recent poor form.
He told Online Darts: “No, not at all.
“Especially in Holland—he’s on home turf, so the crowd were very much on his side.
“Very loud, very vocal. A lot of whistling, which I detest—not fair on the other players, especially young Josh [Rock], who’s still learning his trade.
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“But keep your eye on that lad.
“We had a good chat last night—once he gets through the whistling and booing and hits his doubles, he’s going to be one hell of a player.
“He is already, but he can get better.”
Taylor went as far as to suggest that Rock could earn a spot in the 2026 Premier League lineup.
He added: “I’d put him second place.
“My first three would be Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Chris Dobey.
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
1994 – Dennis Priestley
1995 – Phil Taylor
1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
2003 – John Part
2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
2008 – John Part (2)
2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
2011 – Adrian Lewis
2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
2014 – Michael van Gerwen
2015 – Gary Anderson
2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
2018 – Rob Cross
2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
2020 – Peter Wright
2021 – Gerwyn Price
2022 – Peter Wright (2)
2023 – Michael Smith
2024 – Luke Humphries
2025 – Luke Littler
Most World Titles
14 – Phil Taylor
3 – Michael van Gerwen
2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
“I also like Nathan Aspinall. They’re some of my favourite players.”
Rock has also been backed to become a major threat to Luke Littler by former player Matt Edgar.
World No 11 Rock won the World Cup for Northern Ireland this year and reached two Euro Tour darts finals.
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