The reintroduction of the ‘Contenders’ and ‘Challengers’ format would be “totally unfair,” according to Gerwyn Price, who has weighed in on the debate around this year's Premier League.
We are just eight nights into the Premier League calendar and discussions around its format continue to divide opinion after Gian van Veen pulled out of the Dublin event to undergo a kidney stone operation.
As a result of Van Veen's withdrawal, opponent Michael van Gerwen received a bye to the semi-finals.
The 23-year-old also received zero league points and a negative leg difference of six, a penalty that many deemed harsh.
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A week later, a fatigued Van Veen struggled on his return, falling to a 6-1 quarter-final defeat against Gerwyn Price at the Uber Arena in Berlin. So, do the PDC need to switch things up and introduce a reserve player?
A report from Sky Sports has raised that question, with the 'Contenders' and 'Challengers' concept being mentioned as a possible solution.
The concepts were temporary formats first introduced by the PDC in 2019 to manage unexpected player withdrawals and to inject more interest, with local players being given a one-night opportunity to perform in front of home crowds.
Scotland's John Henderson, for example, performed in Aberdeen and received a spine-tingling walk-on to the sound of bagpipes, while Willie O'Connor made a memorable appearance in Dublin.
However, Gerwyn Price is not a fan of the idea.
"I think that would be totally unfair," Price said. "When you had the challengers, it was a good idea but unfair to the players that are playing the challengers.
"Every player is a different standard, and one person could play Fallon Sherrock, someone could play Chris Dobey, someone could play Luke Humphries, like I did.
"I think if you're looking at the problems with the format, at the minute where it is probably a little bit repetitive and if someone is ill, then there's no way of trying to get those points back."
Price added: "If they miss a week, somebody gets gifted points, which is a little bit unfair but I'm not sure what they're going to do about it."
William O'Connor, who featured as a one-off Premier League competitor in 2020 and received an incredible reception in Dublin, believes the idea could have legs.
"It's definitely something to be talked about, especially when a player pulls out. I mean, why not have a local?" the Irishman told Tungsten Tales.
"It makes sense not to have a bye. Whether there's points on the line or not at least fill the void for the crowd and have a home player to give everyone something to cheer about. Makes sense to me."
Thoughts on the concept? Should it be reintroduced? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Darts
Jack Kenmare