PDC Darts Premier League - Wildcard bracket for finals night?

Judgement Night has passed, and the stars of the PDC Darts Premier League now focus on reaching the play-offs night (AKA "finals night") at the O2 on 19th May 2016. Robert Thornton's three-points haul in Liverpool in week 8 proved enough to save him, with Michael Smith and Dave Chisnall being eliminated after failing to take points from Phil Taylor and Peter Wright respectively on Judgement Night. Eight combatants will now do battle over the next six-weeks to make the O2.

A look at the way the table is developing (found here) and we see Taylor, van Gerwen, Anderson and Lewis in the play-off positions. This leaves the other four players battling to squeeze in and remove one of 'the big three' or two-time world champion Adrian Lewis, who to this point has proven to be the best of the rest, only losing to 'the big three'.

Lewis' 4th spot is the most likely to be in jeopardy, and as the marathon runs further, it is likely that Taylor, MVG and Anderson will open a gap. This means realistically five players are battling for one spot and quite possibly we could see some 'dead rubber' games as 8th, then 7th, then 6th get cut adrift. I have an idea, similar to the NFL play-offs 'Wildcard Weekend' which could keep more players in the hunt for the O2 for longer.

The Wildcard Bracket

The NFL 'Wildcard Weekend' keeps the underdogs in the hunt for the biggest prize for longer. Although those who have sat in the best positions at the back end of the season are favoured in the post-season, six wildcards have actually gone on to win the Superbowl. This a true underdog story, one that captures the imagination and also rewards teams that hit form late. The Premier League play-offs will see four players compete for the Premier League trophy on 19th May, but what if the PDC extended this to six players instead?

Looking at the table at present we would see James Wade and Peter Wright join Taylor, MVG, Anderson and Lewis at the O2, but also some enhanced hope for Raymond van Barneveld and Robert Thornton who currently sit 3pts and 6pts adrift of 'Snakebite' Peter Wright in sixth spot. At the top of the table there could also be three or four players battling for the top 2 spots and safe passage to the semi finals potentially all in play in weeks 13 and 14.

New look play-offs night

How do four players and a regular semi final bracket instead change to a six-player finals night? Looking at the NFL bracket for example, some teams are protected and actually sit in wait, taking on the winner of the wildcard weekend.

The PDC would not have to extend the Premier League to another week - instead we would see more matches on finals night. Again, looking at the current top six, the finals night would play out as below:

Mock-up of a PL Finals night wildcard bracket (as at week 9)

• Match 1: Six in League (Peter Wright) vs Third in League (Gary Anderson)
• Match 2: Fifth in League (James Wade) vs Fourth in League (Adrian Lewis)
• Semi Final 1: First in League (Phil Taylor) vs Lowest PL ranked qualifier from Match 1 & 2
• Semi Final 2: Second in League (MVG) vs Highest PL ranked qualifier from Match 1& 2
• Final

There could be a question as to whether it is fair for players 3 and 4 to play extra games, but this could also put more onus on finishing 1st or 2nd in the league. The prize-fund split is also in place meaning that there is still incentive to finish 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th even if 7th and 8th get cut adrift - but the positive there is that week 14 could feature many more players battling for the top 2, or wildcard positions.

Would do you think - is the current PL format fine, or would an extended wildcard bracket bring more spice after Judgement Night in the hunt for the O2?

Nick Blackwell - Can Boxing be made safer?

Last Saturday, we witnessed a slobber-knocker of a contest between then British Middleweight Champion Nick Blackwell (19-3-1), and his challenger and the more (in)famous Chris Eubank Jr (21-1-0). We really was treated to a top contest, Five's offering a true delight for fight fans.

Eubank Jr won this contest after a 10th round stoppage (moves to 22-1-0), and is the newly crowned British Middleweight Champion. There was some friction between Eubank Jr and current WBO Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (the only man to defeat Eubank Jr, and undefeated himself; 23-0-0), and Tyson Fury was notable during the coverage, but none of this stole the headlines.

Blackwell collapsed after the contest, and has since been placed in a medically-induced coma, with swelling on his brain. This has led to questioning from some corners of whether the referee or Blackwell's corner should have stopped the contest before the doctor eventually did in the 10th round.

Let's look at the contest:

1. Blackwell (now 19-4-1) contributed to the fight with Eubank Jr throughout, was dangerous early on, and continued to stand and trade with Eubank Jnr until the end.

Blackwell and Eubank Jr trading blows.

2. There were one or two occasions when Eubank Jr unloaded without reply, but with Blackwell still defending himself, Maybe the most damaging shot was Eubank Jr's uppercut which got through fairly often - this the most neurologically damaging aspect of the fight according to medical experts.

3. Those watching at home would have heard Blackwell's corner talking about a year of preparation for this fight. Blackwell remained game during these conversations.

4. The ref who has been criticised in some quarters also allowed the contest to continue despite some swelling to the left eye of Blackwell. During the majority of the contest, Blackwell's main injury was a seemingly broken and very bloody nose. The eye-swelling came later in the contest but was extremely notable when the fight was stopped.

5. Despite the swelling, Blackwell still had sight from his eye and so was not handicapped in the contest until around the time the fight was stopped.

6. Eubank Jr was probably ahead by some distance on the scorecards (although Richie Woodhall's unofficial scorecard had it as close as 2-rounds after 7-8 rounds), but had been caught once or twice himself. Therefore as defending champion Blackwell, very game throughout, may have hoped to catch Eubank Jr late on. This also seemed to be the game plan as suggested during the coverage from his corner.

So what more could be done to make Boxing safer? 

Looking at the above, I'm not sure under the current rules that anyone has done anything wrong. However, it does beg the question - should the current rules be assessed so that even with a boxer defending himself and throwing punches, some sort of assessment is still performed during the contest.

1. Can we make the equipment safer?
Boxers already wear gloves, which removes the dangers of bare-knuckle fighting. However, could gloves have greater padding or could it be made mandatory that fighters wear headgear similar to the amateurs. Some may argue it would detract from the thrill of knock-outs, but if it could lessen/prevent head injuries, should safety outweigh this thrill?

2. Can we bring in additional checks during the contest?
The ringside-Doc checked on Blackwell and ultimately had to call for the stoppage. But could these checks be made mandatory sooner and more often during the contests. The argument here is that simple questions could be asked between say the 3rd, 6th and 9th rounds and a short examination performed. Whilst the refs and corners will be checking regularly, quite possibly a qualified and neutral pair of eyes in each corner may well notice some danger signs that unqualified eyes wouldn't. This isn't apportioning blame anywhere in this instance, but would bring a neutral pair of eyes,

*These are just two considerations off the bat. Please join the debate by replying in the comments or on Twitter, and please send your wishes and prayers to Nick Blackwell and his family and friends,*

I would like to add, I'm in no way affiliated to any person or organisation mentioned in this blog and have no agenda here other than to suggest that Boxing could revisit safety aspects of the professional sport. 

I would also like to note I have regularly been checking for updates on Blackwell's condition, and my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family and friends. As a fight fan, it was a great contest, Blackwell was a truly tough and game fighter, and that stands out for me right now. All the best in what I hope is a speedy recovery, and I hope to see Blackwell in a ring competing again soon.