Luke Littler’s extraordinary run to the 2024 World Darts Championship final ushered in an entirely new era of darts, with plenty of hot-shot young players looking to emulate The Nuke.
Last year’s tour saw Mike De Decker earn his maiden major trophy at the World Grand Prix, while the likes of Gian Van Veen and Wessel Nijman introduced themselves with scary scoring.
2024 felt like a changing of the guard as some of the elder statesmen of the game looked to wind down their careers.
While Barry Hearn warned the PDC Tour of several youngsters similar to Luke Littler on the youth tour, another star has claimed he will dominate the sport with The Nuke for years to come.
Josh Rock says he’s going to ‘rule’ the PDC with Luke Littler
Josh Rock burst onto the PDC Tour with a stunning run to the fourth round at the 2023 World Darts Championship, just a month after securing the PDC World Youth Championship.
The Northern Irish star defeated José Justicia, Callan Rydz, and Nathan Aspinall before succumbing to Jonny Clayton and he’s not looked back since.
Currently sat inside the PDC Top 20, Rock has sent a warning to the rest of the PDC Tour about the young revolution in the game.
Asked by Dan Dawson what it is like to be one of the most exciting young players in the game, Rock replied: “Yeah it feels good obviously, you have the likes of Luke Littler obviously, I think the two of us are going to rule this sport over the next couple of years.”
Rock won the Dutch Darts Championship and two Pro Tour events in 2024, but is yet to find his best form in TV majors.
Josh Rock is happy to go under the radar compared to Luke Littler
Rock has often been compared to Littler due to their age and them both arriving on the PDC Tour at a similar time.
Since Luke Littler’s World Darts Championship heroics, he’s become one of the most famous sports stars in the world and Rock is happy to be removed from the limelight.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Rock admitted: “Littler now isn’t a dart player – he’s a celebrity. Because he is getting everything thrown at him – Jonathan Ross Show, Bullseye, all these different TV shows.
“I don’t think it will settle down. He is more of a celebrity now than a darts player. I am filtering up – into the top 16, World No. 15. I want to push on to the top 10 and gradually filter up. Be steady. Go up.
“It is as good as staying under the radar. Let him have all the limelight. I can just creep my way up. I am happy being Josh Rock, the darts player, as I can do what I love to do. I am happy being the darts player.”
Rock is next in action at the Winmau World Masters where he’ll open his campaign against a qualifier from the preliminary rounds.