'The lad’s struggling – He needs guidance' - Ex-pro raises concerns over Cameron Menzies' well-being

In the latest episode of the Darts Draait Door podcast, Vincent van der Voort and Damien Vlottes reflected on the recent World Series of Darts Finals. A handful of players – most notably tournament winner Michael van Gerwen – impressed in Amsterdam, though others failed to make any impact whatsoever.

According to Van der Voort and Vlottes, the American pair of Jason Brandon and Danny Lauby Jr. simply weren’t up to scratch. “They might as well have stayed home,” Van der Voort sneered in his analysis. “Both of them were absolutely hopeless. Lauby nicked a leg, but only because Price missed six match darts. Otherwise, they’d both have been heading back with zero legs to their name.”

On the positive side, Simon Whitlock caught the eye. The Australian proved that experience still counts for something, even if he’s no longer among the elite contenders. “Like a fly buzzing around, he just wouldn’t go away,” said Vlottes. “He even had darts to make it 5–5.”

One of the weekend’s most striking stories was Cameron Menzies. The Scot stunned compatriot Peter Wright in the opening round but then collapsed against Chris Dobey. Averaging just 66.85, ‘Cammy’ set an unwanted record – the lowest average ever produced at the World Series of Darts Finals. “I heard he spoke with someone from the organisation afterwards about that match and everything else going on in his life. The lad’s struggling,” Van der Voort explained. “He needs guidance and routine, but that stability just isn’t there. You can see he’s battling mentally.” Menzies’ colourful personality is well known, but the pundits warned he risks slipping out of the chasing pack quickly unless he seeks help.

Michael van Gerwen: is he really back?

Much of the discussion inevitably centred on Michael van Gerwen, who went on to lift the title. The obvious question was whether this meant he was ‘back to his best’.

“It’s too opportunistic to say that,” argued Van der Voort. “His problems aren’t suddenly solved. The divorce still needs finalising, and the kids are sad at times because they miss their dad or their mum. That doesn’t just vanish overnight. They’re starting to realise things will never go back to how they were, and that’s tough.”

“He’s got this big house, but when you walk in and there’s no one there, that’s hard. No one in the morning, no one in the evening to share things with. So yes, a lot still needs sorting in his life. To say there’s no need to worry about him anymore – I don’t buy that,” added Van der Voort, a close friend of ‘Mighty Mike’.