This exclusive interview was originally published in Darts Planet TV’s monthly magazine. Click here to purchase the December 2022 issue.
Damon Heta’s attitude towards the merciless nature of professional darts is admirable. Despite his televised form being the polar opposite to the scintillating standard he has produced on the PDC ProTour, the Australian number one remains positive and has high hopes of turning that record on its head at the sport’s showpiece staging.
It’s been a remarkable rise in recent years for the Perth-born thrower since he was famously crowned the Brisbane Darts Masters champion as an Aussie amateur. He is nearing the world’s top 16 after a mere three years on the professional circuit.
Heta is still far from the finished product nonetheless, and his disappointment in front of the televised cameras highlights that. His run to the quarter-finals of March’s UK Open has been followed by five successive opening round exits in ranking majors, including at the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix.
“It’s made me more determined and next year it just means I’ve got everything to gain when those events come up,” the current world number 20 acknowledged. “Other than the Matchplay I’ve played well on TV so I haven’t dwelled on it too much.
“People compare me to the top 16 players in the world and I guess I should take that as a compliment, but I’ve only nearly finished my third year on tour and I’ve already got six PDC titles. Four of them are just from this year alone, including a TV title along with Simon so to me I’m doing pretty well.
“A lot of players on tour would love to be in the position I’m in after a short three years so I’m not too focused on the things that I haven’t achieved so far as they will come. No one was born a champion.”
Those exceptional three years have included Players Championship successes and more recently a tense Gibraltar Darts Trophy triumph on the European Tour. His brilliance on the floor earlier this season even meant that some were touting Heta as the best player in the world at that particular moment in time.
“Looking back the last three years have gone by pretty quickly,” Heta explained. “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind – I got my tour card just before Covid hit so the first two years were different but I had nothing to compare it to. This year has been my first normal year on tour and to have qualified for everything but the Masters at the start of the year, it’s been pretty hectic but I love it.”
He added: “Everyone we have come across are always happy to help. Within the darts, Mac [Elkin] from TSMC has become family and we met a couple called Amy and Ian who have become great friends. Also living with Dimitri [Van den Bergh] and Evi has been great, especially during Covid times and they have become family as well.”
It was the late, great Kyle Anderson who had the most lasting influence on Heta nonetheless. More than a year has passed since the Auckland Darts Masters champion sadly passed away but his impact on the sport lives on.
Anderson spoke extremely highly of Heta’s talents leading up to his aforementioned Brisbane glory four years ago. Everybody took his comments with a pinch of salt due to the two being childhood friends, although those words became reality sooner rather than later.
“To me he wasn’t a darts player, yes he played darts but it wasn’t something we spoke a lot to each other about. To me he was always just Kyle who lived down the road when we were kids and who I spent all my time with growing up,” reminisced Heta.
“He was one of a kind and was always up for a laugh and no matter how much time passed between talking to or seeing each other, it was always like time never went by.
“I’m thankful that we got to play on a stage in front of the TV cameras against each other, which was something we dreamt about as kids, although we agreed if it was to happen we would throw left-handed but I don’t think the PDC would’ve liked that! His last Players Championship event before he handed his card in we actually played each other as well which is crazy.
“He gave a lot to the darts and he will always have a legacy within the sport for his achievements but also for being the person he was. Every time someone puts on the green and gold for the World Cup he will be remembered.”
It was Heta and Simon Whitlock who wore that famous green and gold jersey earlier this year as the pair secured a historic Aussie triumph at the World Cup of Darts, with Heta receiving an unbelievable heroes welcome when returning down under for August’s World Series of Darts events.
“My focus was mainly on family and friends as I hadn’t been home for over two years so trying to see everyone took my focus away from the darts a bit,” Heta admitted. “But despite not getting a win, I really enjoyed the events and getting to play in front of an Aussie and New Zealand crowd was just something else, especially being newly-crowned World Cup champions.
“Random people were stopping me while I was out and about and congratulating us on the win. Even after winning the Brisbane Masters, I never had any of that so I think it was great for the sport back home and has encouraged a lot of darts players in Australia to chase their dreams.”
Two Australian youngsters inspired by that success were Brandon Weening and Bailey Marsh, who travelled across the world to compete in October’s World Youth Championship. Heta was in attendance and was impressed by their showings.
“I think that they conducted themselves well and it was a huge learning curve for them,” Heta said. “We just don’t have the calibre of darts back home that is here [in England] even at the youth level. It would have taught them a lot about where they are at with their game and what they need to do moving forward.”
Now, all attentions turn to the hottest ticket in professional darts for Heta. His fourth World Championship appearance comes three years following his debut. He initially sealed an Alexandra Palace bow as an Aussie amateur, and now he heads back there on the cusp of the world’s very elite.
“It took me a while to work out how to even get into the venue as we don’t get given any directions or instructions,” he laughed. “It was just a huge party. I was proud to have topped the DPA just to qualify for it. We stayed with the other Aussies who qualified so there was just a buzz around the whole event and also being in a new country was exciting.
“I was pumped to get the win over Jose [de Sousa] in my first game but I probably didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. After my first game all the Aussies had left to go back home so it was just a bit of a let down for my game against Glen [Durrant].”
Heta wants to restore the enjoyment this time around, adding: “I’m just going to take it a game at a time and try not to put any expectations on myself. I want to get up on that stage and enjoy myself, which I think I’ve forgotten to do lately.”
Should Heta manage to transform his form onto the iconic Alexandra Palace stage this December everyone should beware. Only Michael van Gerwen has a superior rolling average than him this season and that speaks volumes.
