BRENDAN Dolan kept the nation on the edge of their seats throughout his nail-biting PDC World Championship round three epic against number three seed Gerwyn Price on Monday night.
With the match tied 3-3 in sets and the seventh and deciding set tied 2-2 in legs, Welshman Price held his nerve to clinch victory with double top and edge out Fermanagh native Dolan (who needed 72 to win) in arguably the game of the tournament so far.
“Ah it was unfortunate but Gerwyn had the darts (in the deciding leg) and that’s what won it for him,” said Belcoo’s Dolan, who looked a genuine top level contender throughout the seven-set classic.
“It was a very good performance but there were a lot of wayward darts that I still have to try and perfect. I’m not where I want to be but I’m definitely making strides in the right direction and I do think that was my best performance on television in about three or four years. It’s an improvement so I suppose that’s what we have to start with.”
Dolan took the decision to remodel his throwing technique a couple of years ago. He felt that tiredness was making his shoulder drop as games wore on and that was causing his first dart to land under the treble 20 too often. The poor positioning of that dart blocked the treble for his second and third meaning he struggled for consistent scoring power.
Ironing out the issue has taken patience and time but it is obviously beginning to pay dividends.
On Monday night Dolan scored 100+ 91 times including 22 140s and three 180s – his three-dart average in the match was a shade over 97.
“I was disappointed that the 180s weren’t flowing like they did in practice but there was a lot of good stuff there too so I can’t be too harsh on myself,” said the 47-year-old.
“The scoring was pretty consistent so I can’t criticise it too much but I want to get better and I want to get the technique tidier so, when I do miss, I’m not missing by as much.”
Improving his technique and scoring power should push Dolan into the position to capitalise on the big-game temperament that he displayed when the chips were down against Price.
“I’ve always maintained I’ve a good mentality and a good bottle but I haven’t put myself into that position enough times,” he said.
“Years ago, when Phil Taylor played me in the final of the Grand Prix he said one thing that I had, that the majority of the other players didn’t have, was bottle. I always believed that I did have that but I didn’t have the scoring power.
“I was a steady thrower but I need to be more powerful around the treble 20 and I’m making strides, working on my game and going in the right direction. Hopefully more people can see that I do have the bottle and I do put myself in those positions – I was pleased with that aspect of my game last night because, when there were times it could have been my last dart, I pulled it out of the bag.
“I don’t believe anyone has seen the best of me yet, the practice game I have is a lot more consistent than what I’m showing so I do believe there is more to come.”
As for this Championship, Dolan says that Michael van Gerwen “has a great chance” while Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh “has put in good performances and he looks calm”.
He added: “Gerwyn (Price) can be a big danger and for underdogs you might look at Devon Petersen and Gabriel Clements, they are class players in their own right it’s just about whether the pressure gets to them. It’s still open.”
