Josh Rock has revealed that he couldn't sleep the night before his Premier League Darts spot was announced - because he still hadn't found out if he had been picked.
The Northern Irishman, who reached the last 16 of the World Championship before losing to Justin Hood, was the eighth and final player chosen by the PDC for the 2026 competition.
Rock will be among a field that also features Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price.
He was one of four players invited to compete by the PDC - Bunting, Clayton and Price being the others - with the other four names earning automatic spots as part of the top four of the two-year Order of Merit.
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The picks were announced on Monday, January 5 - just under 48 hours after Littler had defeated Van Veen to win his second World Championship.
And if you thought the players involved would have been briefed beforehand, you would be correct - but only just.
Rock told BBC Sport NI that he only found out 20 minutes before the announcement by the PDC that he was in.
"The night before, I didn't sleep because I hadn't heard anything," he said.
"And then 20 minutes before it was released I found out I was in. It was a relief in a way."
Rock will get the opportunity to compete in his home city of Belfast, which will host night four of the league phase on February 26.
"I don't think it has really sunk in but when I'm standing up on that stage in Belfast it's going to hit me," the 2022 world youth champion continued.
"I might be a bit nervous but I'll enjoy the moment.
"They always say you're not one of the elite players until you're in the Premier League. Now I can say I'm one of the elite players because I'm on television for the next 17 weeks straight.
"It's a good feeling."
Out of the eight players involved in the Premier League, Rock was surely one of the most deserving of an invite.
He reached the UK Open and World Matchplay semi-finals, won the World Cup of Darts for Northern Ireland alongside Daryl Gurney, and was a Grand Slam quarter-finalist.
His fourth-round exit in the worlds didn't cost him a spot - but an even earlier exit at Alexandra Palace may have cost James Wade, who lost to Ricky Evans in round two.
'The Machine', who reached the final of the UK Open and World Matchplay events, wrote on Twitter following his exclusion: "Hard work pays off... really?
"Disappointed, but proud of the work I put in this year chasing one goal getting back to the Premier League ... I trusted my performance in the big moments, two major finals and two quarter-finals and I'll keep backing that process."
Topics: Darts, Premier League
Ryan Smart