Tim Pusey secured bragging rights ahead of Finals Night in the Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League, winning Night Five in Newcastle with a 5-3 victory over Simon Whitlock in the final. It was Pusey’s second nightly win of the season, adding to his triumph in Melbourne two weeks ago. The victory earned him the A$1,000 […]
Tim Pusey secured bragging rights ahead of Finals Night in the Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League, winning Night Five in Newcastle with a 5-3 victory over Simon Whitlock in the final.
It was Pusey’s second nightly win of the season, adding to his triumph in Melbourne two weeks ago.
The victory earned him the A$1,000 nightly prize and secured second place in the standings ahead of Finals Night in Brisbane next weekend.
Pusey began the night with a comfortable 5-2 win over birthday boy Ben Robb before beating Brody Klinge by the same scoreline in the semi-final, producing finishes of 158 and 130 in arguably his best performance in the ANZ Premier League to date.
Klinge’s defeat ended his faint hopes of qualifying for Finals Night, leaving Whitlock, Jonny Tata and Raymond Smith – who had already secured their places before Newcastle – to join Pusey in the four-player showdown at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre next weekend.
Pusey will face Whitlock in the semi-finals in Brisbane and will be hoping his victory over the Australian in Newcastle gives him the confidence to progress to the final.
“It’s always good to get a cheeky win, but he’s done so much for darts,” Pusey said. “It’s just good to play him, because he was playing him before my time and all that, but it’s good to play him again.
“Let’s hope he plays like he does tonight next week, hey? But I believe I am playing him next week, so a cheeky little rematch.
“Hopefully I’ve got the wood over him, but you can’t count it out till the fat lady sings.”
Heading into Night Five, Smith was guaranteed top spot, while Joe Comito was the only player out of contention, meaning six players were battling for the final three spots.
Smith survived a huge scare against Comito, rattling off three consecutive legs to avoid a quarter-final defeat after surviving five match darts, which meant Comito finished the campaign without a win.
Whitlock was sitting outside the top four prior to Saturday’s play, but his commanding 5-0 quarter-final win over Mal Cuming saw him leapfrog his opponent in the standings and ultimately eliminate him in the process.
Pusey proved too strong for Robb, who failed to win a match after reaching the final on the opening night in Canberra.
Klinge then overpowered Tata, but with a win needed to keep his Finals Night hopes alive, the pressure became too much against Pusey in the semi-finals.
The other semi-final saw Whitlock claim a commanding 5-2 win over Smith in their first meeting of the season.
Attention now turns to Brisbane where the Finals Night winner will take home the A$30,000 top prize, along with a place at next month’s Grand Slam of Darts and the 2026/27 World Darts Championship.
It will be the same semi-final line-up as last season, when Whitlock memorably beat Smith in the final.
Click here for match stats & results.
2026 Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League
Night Five
Saturday October 24, Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
Fixtures based on League Table following Night Four
Quarter-Finals
Raymond Smith 5-4 Joe Comito
Simon Whitlock 5-0 Mal Cuming
Tim Pusey 5-2 Ben Robb
Jonny Tata v Brody Klinge
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 5-2 Raymond Smith
Tim Pusey 5-2 Brody Klinge
Final
Tim Pusey 5-3 Simon Whitlock
