Michael van Gerwen, Dave Chisnall & Michael Smith have Premier League nights to forget
Friday 8 April 2016 08:31, UK
Michael van Gerwen failed to win for the third consecutive week while Robert Thornton survived elimination - but what have we learned?
Judgement Night has cast its verdict on Michael Smith and Dave Chisnall, sending them crashing out of the tournament and reducing its participants to eight. At the top of the league, it was another disappointing outing for the world No 1.
Here are five talking points...
Why did we give up on Thornton?
At the start of Week 8, the Scotsman was rock-bottom of the Premier League table without a victory to his name, staring elimination in the face. It seemed certain that it would be Thornton, plus one more, to face the chop.
A stunning pair of results last week made Thornton the first player to truly take advantage of playing twice in the same night - he drew with Van Gerwen and defeated Smith to move out of the bottom two. Heading into Judgement Night, he had provided warning signs that he possessed enough quality to compete at this level.
In the end, his work was done in last week's double-header. Smith and Chisnall's defeats on Judgement Night meant Thornton was safe before he threw a dart, leaving us all to wonder why we wrote him off so quickly.
MVG is in poor form… yes, you heard that right!
Any time Van Gerwen leaves the oche without a win, it represents a major coup for whoever he has opposed. A shock draw with Thornton last week could possibly have been attributed to bad luck for Van Gerwen, but a third consecutive week without a win represents a mini-crisis for the world No 1.
In truth, a point against Raymond Van Barneveld on Judgement Night doesn't tell the full story. Barney will have left the oche kicking himself that he didn't take a major victory, having missed one dart at a double to secure a maximum two points. Van Gerwen deserves a degree of credit for sticking around and battling, but a draw against Van Barneveld flattered him.
So what's up with 'Mighty Mike'? That's twice in recent times he has failed to beat Van Barneveld on a major stage, having lost their World Championship tie in January. Van Gerwen has slipped down to No 2 in the table, behind Phil Taylor, but his top four spot remains secure - for now, at least.
Have you noticed Taylor is top?
On a night dominated by three players jostling for survival, and Van Gerwen uncharacteristically faltering, it is forgivable not to have realised that Taylor is top of the Premier League after nine weeks.
'The Power' has won the tournament six times but not since 2012, and entered this year's edition facing questions about whether he still had the accuracy in his arrows to contend with the likes of Van Gerwen. So far, he has quietly reassured doubters that he still belongs.
Sitting a point clear of Van Gerwen heading into the next stage of the Premier League won't silence Taylor's critics permanently. The new fixture list has thrown up a mouth-watering Taylor vs Van Gerwen contest in Rotterdam on the final night of the regular season - 'The Power' must still be shining heading into London's play-offs to finally prove he can end a four-year run without a Premier League title.
Smith & Chisnall will be back
Whenever the world's 10 best players come together in an unforgivably gruelling tournament, it will force two unfortunate players to appear much worse than they really are. Smith and Chisnall were eliminated on Judgement Night after winning just one match apiece in 18 combined efforts, but their place in the world's elite crop is unlikely to change.
Smith is currently rated at No 8 while Chisnall is No 11, so could be looking over his shoulder when the 2017 Premier League is discussed. But Chizzy is only a year on from a semi-final finish in the 2015 tournament, while 25-year-old Smith is regarded as one of the sport's top prospects. They are down, but they're not out.
Who could play in the 2017 Premier League?
If a new player replaces Smith or Chisnall, the likeliest candidate would be world No 10 Jelle Klaasen. Yet another prospect from the Netherlands, Klaasen would certainly be a popular addition to the line-up for our orange-clad neighbours who will host their first ever Premier League night in May.
But Klaasen is also in with a shout due to his ability at the oche, not just his popularity. He already counted himself unfortunate to miss out on this year's event considering he is ranked by the PDC one place above Chisnall. Bizarrely, he has already played in the 2009 Premier League as a sprightly 24-year-old alongside Sky Sports' very own Wayne Mardle but hasn't been invited back since.
Premier League Darts returns next Thursday from Sheffield, live on Sky Sports 2 HD.
