Josh Rock extended his winless run to seven matches in the Premier League as he suffered an embarrassing defeat to Gerwyn Price.
The Iceman showed no mercy by demolishing Rock 6-0 in Dublin, as more questions were raised about his inclusion in the competition.
Rock averaged just 84 and missed all four darts at double, as Price didn’t have to shift out of first gear to beat the Northern Irishman.
Failing to transfer his world-class ability into the Premier League has been the story of his tournament, and aside from hitting a superb nine-dart leg in Belfast, it’s been a miserable experience for the 24-year-old.
Josh Rock needs a miracle to turn Premier League campaign around
Away from the Thursday night struggles, Rock continues to demonstrate why he was selected for the competition.
WHITEWASH WIN FOR PRICE!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 19, 2026
Gerwyn Price storms through to the semi-finals in Dublin!
The Welshman demolishes Josh Rock in six straight legs to move into the Play-Off places!
📲 https://t.co/gFQK4rQ2wU#PLDarts | QF3 pic.twitter.com/EIKtgCwT6k
The world No. 7 was exceptional in the UK Open and reached another TV semi-final against Luke Littler, who narrowly beat him 11-9 before he eventually triumphed over James Wade in the final.
Rock’s run to the last four of that tournament included a 10-7 victory over Stephen Bunting, while a 99 average against Krzysztof Ratajski underlined his scoring prowess.
He’s rarely showcased his power scoring on the Premier League stage, only reaching a ton-plus on two occasions, the most impressive being a 103 average in a 6-4 loss to Littler in Cardiff.
But he’s floundered too many times and recorded one of the lowest averages in the competition’s history – 79 during a 6-2 defeat against Michael van Gerwen on night two.
Just as Bunting found out last year after not tasting victory until week nine, time is running out for Rock to turn his campaign around and compete.
Rock needs to avoid further embarrassment
As it stands, Rock is 11 points behind fourth-place Luke Humphries, giving him a near-impossible task of reaching the play-offs.
NORTHERN IRELAND ARE CHAMPIONS
— Darts Now (@DartsNow) June 15, 2025
Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney have captured the World Cup for Northern Ireland, edging out Wales in a last leg decider
Northern Ireland led 9-7 before finally getting over the line in a decider with their sixth championship dart
Congratulations 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/fTjq5phEQ6
The World Cup of Darts holder is instead threatening to produce one of the worst performances in the competition’s history, and certainly since the league format changed in 2022.
But to avoid further embarrassment, Rock arguably needs his opponent to have an off-day, and that rarely happens when the rest aren’t dropping their levels.
Most will consistently average around 100, so he needs to raise his game massively, or his winless run will continue.
That being said, it feels like only a matter of time before it clicks for Rocky on the Premier League stage, and then he could have a much stronger second half of the campaign.
