Daryl Gurney at ease with growing status in the PDC
World Grand Prix champion back in action on Saturday and a contender for the biggest prize in the sport
Saturday 23 December 2017 22:57, UK
When Daryl Gurney dropped to his knees at the end of the World Grand Prix final in Dublin a couple of months ago, he became darts newest major winner and rubber stamped a superb year on the PDC tour.
It all started 12 months ago with a career-best run to the World Championship quarter-final that set him on a brilliantly consistent course to that emotional success in his homeland and a status as one of the most in-demand names in the game.
"I've been really so busy since then that it hasn't really had time to digest," Gurney told Mardle earlier this week.
"Some people come up to me and shake my hand and go: congratulations on the win at the Grand Prix and I'm like oh-ay I remember that, but it's just been so surreal.
"As you know you've been there [to Mardle], you've played in majors and we all want to win them. But whenever you've done it and you've actually sometimes got the belief to do it but then a lot of people haven't done it and just thankfully a bit of luck and I won my first major."
Gurney's current position in the top four of the Order of Merit means he is in line for an automatic Premier League debut next year and should he drop out of that position he would look like a certainty for a wild card.
As he said in his press conference, he is counting no chickens, and he will take to the stage on Saturday against John Henderson as a major contender, not a lively outsider, Mardle sees a man comfortable in the position.
"He is relaxed because he is confident and he knows, and said, that if he plays well he now expects to win or go very, very close," the Sky Sports expert says at the Alexandra Palace media centre.
"He is saying that at the Worlds - I don't ever remember in my career being that confident when it comes to the Worlds as you also have that doubt, 'Not here, not now,' and he has none of that going on."
Gurney's 2017 has made him one of the sports most respected competitors; he has risen to fourth in the Order of Merit, reached at least the last eight of every major televised tournament this year.
Only world no 1 and winning machine Michael van Gerwen can match Gurney's consistency in the biggest events of the year and the man from Derry must be doing something right as the legendary figure of Phil Taylor decided he needed some verbal jousting ahead of their Grand Slam quarter-final last month.
In the past 'Superchin' could well have got embroiled but he carried himself brilliantly during that exchange, insisting he had nothing but respect for The Power and refused to get dragged into petty mind games - something Taylor has since admitted was a bit of a mistake.
Gurney is set to become a father in April, but the focus for now remains on his darts and for him it's always been about the darts: "I love throwing darts, I've loved it from the age of 12, going to play in Pro Tours it's what gets me up in the morning.
"I want to play against the best players in the world. I don't want to go: Oh, maybe I'll get an easy draw today, I want to beat them at their best.
"I've shown glimpses throughout the year, should it be on TV, away from TV. I've beaten most players when they're playing their A+ game.
"Sometimes that wee negative thought whenever you're going to play them always helps, because sometimes if you're sitting on 160 and they're on a 76, they've got one dart at a double and they're thinking well if I don't hit this, Daryl could go out here - you plant that seed in their head."
As well as the hours on the practice board, Gurney is happy to seek out the very best for sound words of advice. As well as chatting with Wayne, former world No 1 Colin Lloyd has been among the names he has sought to gain the extra percentage.
"We all know we've got the game, I mean we've all got it here in the arm as you know, but it's between the ears that matters. I got a bit of help from Colin Lloyd; always need a bit of help on the psychology side so he gave me the help and the best advice he could and I took it from there and tried to fit it into my practice, believe more in myself."
Mardle was impressed with what he saw and feels that makes him a danger despite a tough draw at this year's tournament.
"He is saying things like 'my average game is better than some people's A-games and I know that now.' He is now looking for the next step which is doing the right things against the players that are better than him," Mardle said.
"By that he means Gary and Michael, we spoke about them, and he said that Michael is only a different planet right now if they meet.
"But he is in a really good place, really controlled, he feels he is getting better year after year and his progress from the last 16, to the quarters over the last couple of years shows that."
Gurney eased past Ronny Huybrechts in the first round, and was one of several players to average in excess of 100 in a tournament that continues to set higher and higher standards and the 31-year-old from Derry has done the same things himself.
Mardle added: "He has been getting better year after year, he is learning things about himself that he can handle it - you don't know you can handle it until you do - and he did."
With confidence brimming and a major on the mantelpiece, the next step on the road to the biggest prize of them all will be taken on Saturday night.
Coverage of the World Darts Championship continues on Saturday with a double session available on Sky Sports Darts - coverage of the afternoon gets underway at 12.30pm with the evening kicking off at 7pm
Keep up to date with the news as the PDC celebrates 25 years on Sky Sports. So get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts - don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts.
