As he prepares to begin his PDC World Darts Championship campaign tonight, Keane Barry believes that he has ‘unfinished business’ on the famous Alexandra Palace stage.
Mildenhall-based Barry will come up against Australia’s Tim Pusey in what is the competition’s 64th and final first-round tie.
And while his opponent will be making his debut, Barry is no stranger to the north London venue.
Keane Barry will play in the first round at Alexandra Palace this evening Picture: Kieran Cleeves/PDC
This will be the 23-year-old’s seventh appearance in the tournament, yet he has so far been unable to advance beyond the second round.
In Barry’s defence, his defeats at that stage have come against Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price – all players currently inside the world’s top 10.
Nevertheless, Barry feels that he has only ‘shown glimpses’ of what he is capable of in the biggest event of them all.
Keane Barry. Picture: Kieran Cleeves/PDC
“It’s such a massive competition and I love playing at Alexandra Palace,” said Barry, who regularly practices at Pot Black in Bury St Edmunds.
“You work so hard whole season to get there and everyone there would trade everything they’ve done in the game to be a world champion.
“There’s always pressure, and I’ve definitely had good days and bad days on that stage.
“I’d say I’ve got some unfinished business. I know what I’m capable of and it feels like I’ve only shown glimpses of that. I’ve still not shown nowhere near what I’m capable of, but I’m confident that will happen sooner rather than later.
Keane Barry. Picture: PDC
“Like everyone, you go to Alexandra Palace looking to be world champion, but it’s about taking every game as it comes and finding a bit of consistency.”
Barry will arrive at the Palace this evening armed with one vital commodity – momentum.
By his own admission, form and positive results were had to come by in the early part of 2025, but the tide started to turn for the better in June when Barry and his Republic of Ireland team-mate William O’Connor reached the quarter-finals of the PDC World Cup of Darts.
They were eventually defeated by eventual champions Northern Ireland, but the run reinvigorated Barry, who secured his spot at the World Championships by reaching the last eight of the Players Championship Finals in late October.
Keane Barry. Picture: Taylor Lanning/PDC
“I’m definitely happy with the last six months, but the first six months of the year were pretty dreadful by my own standards,” added Keane, who plays in the Suffolk Super League for Needham Market and for the Fordham British Legion.
“At the start of the year I was very conscious of my Tour Card. There was a bit of worry and that probably didn’t help at all. You can over-think things too much and that’s what I was doing for a while, so I just needed to get back to winning games and getting on good runs in tournaments.
“It was frustrating, but we had a great run at the World Cup and it’s gone on from there.
“It was definitely not a certainty that I’d qualify for the Worlds, but I reached the quarter-finals in Wigan and now I’ve got some good form.
“It’s hard to know sometimes why things don’t go well, but it feels like I’ve come out the other side of that.”
