This week the World Series takes place in Australia and the eight top PDC players will all believe they have what it takes to win the title here, especially with the likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries not being involved.
Judging by what was seen last weekend, those invited into this World Series tournament may also be playing with the confidence to believe they can upset the odds and put together a deep run and that makes this World Series event very interesting.
On the opening day of this tournament, all eight opening Round matches will be played before the Quarter Final, Semi Final and Final take place on the second day.
Stephen Bunting - 3.5 legs v Mal Cuming: The disappointing opening Round exit last week should mean Stephen Bunting is that much more focused to make amends when arriving in Australia.
He did not play badly in the loss to Raymond Smith and anything similar should be good enough to beat Mal Cuming who is in eighth place in the Australian Dart Rankings.
In the two previous runnings of the Australian Darts Masters, Mal Cuming has not been able to earn a spot in the draw and he will have to lift his numbers considerably to challenge Bunting.
The Bullet can be really frustrating at times, but he should be focused to bounce back from the early loss at the New Zealand Darts Masters and that should see him ease through to the Quarter Final this week.
Josh Rock to win & most 180s v Adam Leek: The win over Ross Smith last week came as a real surprise, but Adam Leek was not able to back that up in the Quarter Final.
He had not been showing much form at the Players Championship prior to earning a place in the World Series Down Under, but Adam Leek found a way past Ross Smith when he looked set for another defeat.
Credit has to be given to the character of Leek and he will be motivated to perform well here in Australia, while he has beaten Josh Rock once already this season.
However, Josh Rock should be able to maintain a stronger level than Adam Leek even if he was not at his absolute best last week when going out in the Quarter Final as well.
Josh Rock is the bigger maximum hitter and that should aid him in his bid to move through to the next Round.
Jonny Clayton to win & most 180s v Ben Robb: He did not start the tournament in New Zealand with an impressive performance and Jonny Clayton was a little fortunate to beat Haupai Puha.
Despite edging through, Clayton took full advantage by picking up the World Series trophy last weekend and he should be playing with a lot of confidence.
Those qualifying for the New Zealand Darts Masters impressed last week and so Jonny Clayton will know he cannot afford another below par performance against Ben Robb.
A narrow loss to Damon Heta was the outcome of the First Round match involving Ben Robb last week, although it was the missed doubles that kept Robb in the match.
He will need to improve to beat one of the top players on the Tour and Jonny Clayton can secure the match double on his way to the Quarter Final.
Gerwyn Price - 3.5 legs v Simon Whitlock: The veteran Australian is back in the World Series for the third straight year at home, but Simon Whitlock has struggled to compete with the best players on the Tour.
He did win four Legs in his loss to Josh Rock last week in New Zealand, but Simon Whitlock's two matches at the Australian Darts Masters have both ended in 6-1 defeats.
Simon Whitlock will need Gerwyn Price to underperform if he is going to upset the odds, but that looks unlikely considering how well The Ice Man was playing last week.
Maintaining that level has not been easy for Gerwyn Price and he has admitted that he has not been completely focused on his darts this season, even if the results have remained strong.
Motivation should not be too difficult to find for Gerwyn Price against someone who will receive a huge amount of support and he may prove to be the latest top player on the PDC that reminds Simon Whitlock of better days.
Damon Heta - 3.5 legs v Joe Comito: 2026 has not been the season he may have expected, but Damon Heta has shown a bit more positive form over the last couple of months.
He produced a very strong First Round win in New Zealand, although the scoreboard did not reflect how well The Heat had played.
Too many missed doubles were a problem, but Damon Heta is expected to be more focused all around as he plays in front of his compatriots.
Damon Heta should have too much scoring for Joe Comito and that should mean having a lot more chances to close out Legs.
Credit has to be given to Joe Comito for winning a match at the World Championship, but he has won just four Legs in the last couple of years at the Australian Darts Masters.
At the same time, Damon Heta has really produced very strong form in the opening Round at this tournament in each of the two editions and he can pull away for a relatively comfortable win.
MY PICKS: Stephen Bunting - 3.5 Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Josh Rock to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Jonny Clayton to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Gerwyn Price - 3.5 Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Damon Heta - 3.5 Legs @ 2.20 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 113-147, - 21.14 Units (257 Units Staked, - 8.23% Yield)
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