World champion Neil Robertson relying on others in Premier League
Tonight is the final week of the round-robin phase in the snooker Premier League, and there is only one semi-final place up for grabs in Llandudno, Wales.
Marco Fu was the first player to qualify for the play-offs, and he was joined by Ronnie O’Sullivan and reigning Premier League champion Shaun Murphy last week, with O’Sullivan thumping Neil Robertson 5-1 and Murphy beating Mark Williams 4-2.
The final place is going to be contested by Williams, Mark Selby and Robertson. Williams has completed all of his games and currently occupies fourth place, and the Welshman needs O’Sullivan to beat Selby tonight as well as Murphy to beat Robertson.
Williams was unlucky to lose to Murphy last week, and had he got a point it would have given him a better chance to qualify. Instead, he is relying on the three-time world champion O’Sullivan and Murphy to do him a favour.
Judging by the current standings in the table, he is in a better position than Selby and Robertson. Selby needs a draw to go through, while Robertson needs a win and hopes O’Sullivan beats Selby.
Robertson somehow cannot adapt to the Premier League. He only has one win to his name so far this season, and that was when he hammered Ding Junhui 6-0. He has lost three times and drawn once, and quite frankly he shouldn’t be in with a chance with the way he has played. The world No.1 has performed well in patches, but it hasn’t been good enough, such is the high standard of the opponents in this year’s Premier League.
Should things go his way, he would have to play much better in the semi-finals if he wants to win the Premier League to add to his world championship and World Open triumphs this year.
Selby versus O’Sullivan is always a treat for everyone. Selby beat O’Sullivan in a dramatic Masters final at the start of the year, coming from 9-6 down to win 10-9. It was his second Masters victory in three seasons, and he has won two games in the Premier League so far, beating Robertson and Fu. The last time Selby played, he could only draw with Murphy, and needed to win the last frame to ensure he didn’t lose the game.
O’Sullivan was imperious against Robertson last week, and Selby, along with John Higgins, is probably the only player who can tame the Rocket when he’s on fire. If O’Sullivan plays like that again, he’ll blow Selby away, so the Jester from Leicester has to be on his game.
Robertson has nothing to lose, and expect him to come out fighting against Murphy to give himself a chance. If it doesn’t work out for him, then at least he will have ended the competition on a high should he win.
Predictions: O’Sullivan 3 Selby 3, Robertson 4 Murphy 2
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