Gerwyn Price heads an elite PDC field to Wollongong for the Australian Darts Masters this weekend, the final qualifying event for next month's World Series of Darts Finals.
Eight of the game's top stars take on eight ANZAC qualifiers at the WIN Entertainment Centre in pursuit of the £30,000 winner's prize.
Price is the top seed in the absence of defending champion and world No.1 Luke Littler, his big rival Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen, who tops the World Series rankings after the first five events.
Jonny Clayton won last week's New Zealand Masters in Auckland, beating Price 8-4 in an all-Welsh final.
Australian Darts Masters Tips Summary
Best Bet - James Wade to win each-way @ 8/1
Alternative Bet - Jonny Clayton to win @ 5/1
Australian Darts Masters Prediction
Best Bet: James Wade to win each-way @ 8/1
Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price, finalists in Auckland at last weekend's New Zealand Masters, are in opposite halves of the draw in Wollongong as they eye up back-to-back all-Welsh finals.
Standing in their way are the same six PDC aces who toed the oche in Auckland, Gian van Veen, James Wade, Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Ross Smith and Damon Heta.
And up against those eight superstars in round one are eight ANZAC hopefuls, including Raymond Smith, who made the semis a week ago courtesy of wins over Stephen Bunting and fellow Aussie Adam Leek, himself a shock first-round winner over Ross Smith.
Wade was suggested on this site last week and looked more than capable of outrunning his odds after a 6-0 demolition of Kayden Milne and then a routine 6-4 triumph over an off-colour Josh Rock.
However, Wade met his match in the semis going down 7-2 to Clayton but don't lose faith in the Englishman, still attractively priced at 8/1.
The 11-time major winner was a finalist at this venue in 2022 and he should take care of Tim Pusey in round one before taking on Bunting in the last eight - if The Bullet has recovered from last weekend's dismal effort against Smith.
Wade is still a player in good form including a run to the UK Open final and the quarters at the Matchplay. He has also reached a pair of European Tour quarters this summer as well as a Players Championship semi having won PC1 back in February.
Alternative Bet: Jonny Clayton to win @ 5/1
Clayton is in the other half of the draw from Wade - and Price - so is taken to come through the bottom section.
The Ferret got stronger and stronger in Auckland after surviving a real scare in round one where he pipped Haupai Puha 6-5.
He then saw off Van Veen 6-3 and Wade 7-2 before beating his great mate and World Cup partner Price 8-4 in the final.
He doesn't often beat The Iceman so that will have given him an enormous lift as he looks to make it two titles in a week.
Key Australian Darts Masters Stats
The Australian Darts Masters is the sixth and final qualifying event for next month's World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam
The event features 16 players, eight top PDC stars alongside eight local qualifiers, seven from Australia plus New Zealand's Ben Robb
This is the third staging of the Australian Masters though the fifth time that the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong has been used; the two previous World Series events in Wollongong were called the New South Wales Masters
The four previous winners of the Australia Masters (or NSW Masters) are Jonny Clayton (2022), Rob Cross (2023), Gerwyn Price (2024) and Luke Littler (2025)
Gerwyn Price, fourth in the World Series Order of Merit based on performances in the five previous overseas Masters events in 2026, is the No.1 seed at the WIN
Read more darts betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
