Josh Rock will surely dread competing in the Premier League every Thursday night following his abysmal start.
Once tipped to be well-suited to the competition’s format, seven defeats in seven weeks suggest the optimists were wrong, as Rock finds himself bottom of the table.
The Northern Irishman was most recently whitewashed 6-0 by Gerwyn Price, as another woeful performance was punished by a world-class player.
Rock averaged below 90 in Dublin and missed all four of his attempts at double, with Price making him pay for playing well below his usual standard.
Mark Webster shares his thoughts on Josh Rock
Although the 24-year-old pinned a wonderful nine-dart leg in Belfast on night four, that moment is a rare piece of joy he has celebrated during the tournament so far.
The world No. 7 hasn’t brought his incredible qualities to the table, ranking worst for the average and checkout metrics, with his situation bound to get worse.
He plays table topper Jonny Clayton in the next two quarter-finals, and failing to beat the Welshman in Berlin or Manchester will see him equal an unwanted record.
Rock will match Glen Durrant’s nine-match winless run in the 2021 Premier League, with many – including Mark Webster – already writing off his chances of making the play-offs.
“He’s too far adrift,” Webster said on the Love The Darts podcast.
“He plays Johnny next because it’s obviously league order, and he’s going to find it tough. He had his night in Belfast with the nine darts, but very little. This becomes a chore now. He turns up, and he doesn’t look forward to it.
“He’s been beaten early in the Euro Tour on the weekend, and nothing really to take from that.
“And this is a real test for Josh Rock. We’ll have to see how he comes out the other side, because he’s just going to have to use the remainder of the Premier League for me now to try and find some form. If he did somehow manage to get into the playoffs, it would be a sudden turnaround. But I just don’t see it.”
Rock’s woes continue in the Belgian Darts Open
Webster mentioned that Rock suffered an early exit from the European Tour at the weekend, and defeat happened against Kim Huybrechts in the last 32 of the Belgian Darts Open.
HUYBRECHTS KNOCKS OUT ROCK! 💥
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 21, 2026
More joy for the Belgian home crowd! 🇧🇪
Kim Huybrechts becomes the second Belgian player through to Finals Day, defeating Josh Rock 6-4 in our final Round Two match in Wieze!
📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8 #ET3 pic.twitter.com/0I2tciIOPI
Rock lost 6-4 against Huybrechts after going 4-2 up, as his confidence took an even bigger battering.
Worryingly, the Northern Irishman averaged below 91.85 and just 28.57% on the doubles, two statistics that are similar to his Premier League averages.
Ahead of facing Clayton in Berlin, those metrics will have to improve drastically, or his winless run will continue.
