Is it time for Dutch rule in darts?
Raymond van Barneveld’s performance at the GSOD, following the defeat, has left a sign of unpredictability on the future performance of the Dutch player who has always enjoyed a prominent position in mainstream darts.
In an earlier game, it was his opponent Hankey who was whitewashed by Dean Winstanley.
Few would have imagined that the victim of Hankey’s wrath in his upcoming game was none other than the five times World Darts Champion, Barney.
Two key aspects need to be considered proper and require timely attention regarding the disappointment Barney’s fans had to go through following such an upset.
First one being: why did this happen and secondly, how can this be avoided in future?
While talking to a sports channel after the match, Hankey said “Ray played well but didn't seem to be his normal self”.
These comments actually say many things about the direction Barney seems to be heading towards.
A prominent point that can be mentioned here is that it is quite probable that he might be losing his grip on the game.
At a certain stage of the game when he thought he cannot win, he simply found it a futile effort to invest any further in the game to make a comeback, not even for the people who were there in the hall to see him win.
It is clear that Barney is still not able to digest the gravity of the competition that he, along with all other prominent players of the past, are confronted with at present.
He needs to understand that it is about the young blood of darts that is all set to speed up their retirement from the game.
However, it is important to mention for Barney’s fan wing that he has finally found the recipe that can actually help him in regaining his status and reinstating his credibility in the game.
According to Barney, it has mainly been because of his diabetes due to which he has not been able to concentrate on his game.
Thus, affecting his performance that he knows must have been very disappointing for his fans.
He said “I was on the Atkins Diet for the Grand Slam of Darts, skipping a lot of carbohydrates, but for a big guy like me you can't do that on a match day. On the night sessions you don't feel comfortable because you don't have energy”.
Another reason that has simultaneously been highlighted by experts is that maybe Barney is still not ready to acknowledge the fact that the dynamics of darts has undergone considerable modification.
There are new competitors with new zeal, vigour and enthusiasm. Hankey might be a year younger than Barney but when talking about factors like determination and perseverance he was far ahead than Barney.
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