Players Championship Finals predictions Josh Rock
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Players Championship Finals predictions
The darts world is being turned on its head with Luke Humphries heading the betting going into the final major of 2023, the Players Championship Finals from Minehead.
Cool Hand Luke is shorter than top seed Gerwyn Price, seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen and world champion Michael Smith after claiming two majors this autumn at the Grand Prix and last weekend's Grand Slam.
And forget Peter Wright – he didn't even make the top 64 to qualify for the £600,000 bun fight down at Butlin's.
It's all change and even though the case for Humphries is compelling now that he's replaced pangs of self-doubt with title-winning confidence, he's become a leave-alone price especially in such a keenly-fought event as this.
Price and Van Gerwen are in the same quarter of the draw – seedings are worked out based on performances in the 2023 Players Championship campaign – but two names who will appear on several shortlists ought to be Josh Rock and Gary Anderson.
Talented 22-year-old Rock has reached five finals in 2023, one in Austria and four Players Championship heats, and it's surely only a matter of time before he turns one of those into a win. This weekend could be that time.
Rock also threw well at last week's Grand Slam in Wolverhampton, making the last eight where he was pipped 16-15 by James Wade. Earlier wins over Chris Dobey, Jonny Clayton and Krzysztof Ratajski confirmed his game is in good shape.
Two-time world champion Anderson is also playing close to as well as ever and certainly looked the part at the Grand Slam, taking down Price in the last 16 before succumbing in a thriller to Humphries in the quarter-finals.
The Scot is a three-time winner on tour this year and despite constantly banging on about being one of the old guard is still only 52, and that throw never changes. And for a man who hates the grind of touring, he lives close enough to Minehead for this to be a routine daily commute.
The big names in the bottom quarter are Michael Smith and Damon Heta, though Ratajski, a model of consistency this year and twice a winner, gets the thumbs-up to make the final four in Minehead.
