Josh Rock feeling no 'added pressure' as Broughshane man prepares for special Premier League occasion in Belfast
Josh Rock will make his Belfast Premier League debut tonight against Dutchman Gian van Veen as the World Cup winner looks for his first points in the tournament.
‘Rocky’ is no stranger to the SSE Arena stage as he made a guest appearance to collect his World Youth Player of the Year award during the Premier League night in 2023 and the Broughshane thrower is hoping the home crowd can inspire him to victory.
“Hopefully now, because obviously I'm playing in the Premier League, I'll get a good reception. so obviously that was three years ago,” said Rock.
“Hopefully, they're going to be nice to me. I could probably sell out the SSE Arena three times with the amount of people that have asked me for tickets.
“I'm really looking forward to Thursday night in Belfast more than any other night in the Premier League.
“I think it'll mean more than any other night, obviously, but I wouldn't say it’s added pressure.
“I think I'll maybe enjoy it a lot more because all my family and friends are there...so I don't think it's added pressure.”
Despite being ranked ninth in the world, Rock wasn’t expecting to be involved to in this season’s Premier League.
He explained: “For the stage of my career, yes, I'm surprised, obviously, it's happened so quick.
"I was maybe thinking later down, a couple of years down the line, but I'm really happy it's happened now.”
Rock won the World Cup for Northern Ireland last summer with his partner Daryl Gurney and will be the first player from the province to play in the Premier League since ‘Super Chin’ in 2018.
However, he didn’t seek his advice on the rigours of the 16-week tournament.
“The only person I asked for that advice was Rob Cross because obviously he has a lot more experience in the Premier League than Daryl,” he added.
“Daryl has given me tips, but listening to Rob Cross from a world champion perspective, it was nice to hear a couple of words from him.”
Rock has lost all three games so far in the Premier League and sits bottom of the table heading into Belfast, but he knows there is plenty of time to turn it around and reach the play-offs at the O2 in London.
“It's whoever is the best four players after 16 weeks will be in finals night, so there's a long way to go. It’s a marathon not a sprint,” he emphasised.
“I haven't been playing bad, everybody's been playing better than me. Jonny Clayton averaged 100, Luke (Humphries) averaged 106, so there's not much you can do unless you're hitting 110s yourself.”
Van Veen, beaten in the World Championship final by Luke Littler, sits third in the table and was runner up in a tournament at the weekend hitting a 9-dart finish in the final.
But Rock is hoping he can kick start his campaign with a win in front of the home fans.
He concluded: “We're all capable of beating each other, that's why we're in the Premier League.
"It'll be probably tough for Gian because I think the Belfast crowd will be against him for obvious reasons but I think he will cope with it ok and the best player is going to win.”