Neal Foulds snooker column: Eurosport and ITV pundit on Neil Robertson and the Players Championship

None of the top three players on the 1 Year Ranking List hail from Great Britain or Ireland, and Australian Neil Robertson, who currently occupies second spot, once again underlined his status as one of the very best players in the sport with a brilliant victory at the Players Championship in Wolverhampton last week – his third title of the season. On current form at least, it’s hard to argue that Robertson isn’t top of the tree at present.

I’m usually in Robertson’s camp, or least always have him very high on my shortlist, but I must admit to thinking he had plenty on his plate this time around, given his preparation had involved a spell in isolation because of Covid-19, and that he found himself berthed in an incredibly tough third quarter of the draw. Kyren Wilson first, and then Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump after that – no thanks.

But Robertson is such a terrific player, a man with so many sides to his game that when he clicks into gear – as he did in Wolverhampton – is so hard to beat. We’ve raved about his long potting for years, and his break building really is a joy to watch, but his safety play has gone through the roof and I really felt for Barry Hawkins in Sunday’s final.

The standard of safety in the modern era is incredibly high – there haven’t been too many great champions in the history of snooker who didn’t have a strong defensive game – and Robertson has that side of the game cracked now. There was a spell on Sunday where Hawkins didn’t pot a ball for over an hour and while Robertson knocked in three centuries in that time, some of the safety play he produced to create those chances was outstanding. Hawkins seemed to be consistently chained to baulk cushion and I watched in awe throughout that particular passage of play.

All eyes on Robertson as Sheffield draws closer

Inevitably, talk will soon turn to the question of whether Robertson will be able to produce the same level of form in Sheffield and add to the one world title he won in 2010. There’s no doubt he’s a much better player than his more recent record at the Crucible would suggest, but it’s such a hard tournament to win and making predictions this far out is dangerous.

He could easily start favourite, and perhaps on current form he should, but form is a funny thing which can come and go. These top players aren’t machines and quite often, those to have enjoyed busy and fruitful seasons can be burnt out by the spring. That certainly looked to be the case in 2019 when Robertson waltzed through the first week, before John Higgins dragged him into a war in their quarter-final and came out on top.

I don’t buy into this notion that Sheffield doesn’t suit Robertson – he’s produced some brilliant snooker there over the years and is a past winner. But the World Championship is a different beast to anything else and the real grinders can come to the fore. Of course he can win it, but Robertson could well have run his race for the season by then. Let’s wait and see how the next month or so plays out before making too many big calls on that one.

I wouldn’t rule out Hawkins getting his hands on a trophy before the season is out, though. I thought he improved on his performance at the Masters last week and just ran into an irresistible force in the final. It’s good to see him going well again and his match with Yan Bingtao was a terrific contest played to such a high standard.

Ronnie pulls in the crowds in Wolverhampton

That match was one of the highlights of the week for me, the other being the eagerly-anticipated clash between O’Sullivan and Trump that the former this time enjoyed the better of. It was great to be back in Wolverhampton staging snooker again, with fantastic crowds all week, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like the scenes before that particular match – not in terms of snooker anyway. I drove up to the venue and there were hordes of people queuing outside, desperately trying to lay hands on the hottest ticket in town.

Given most of the tickets were sold in advance, I’m afraid many will have been disappointed, but it was heartening to witness people having so much enthusiasm for a big snooker match. Wolverhampton put on a good show and the week went really well, so I’m sure everyone will look forward to returning to the same venue next year.

The match itself was a big result for O’Sullivan, who has tended to come off worst in his more recent battles with Trump. He played really well after a few minor adjustments to his technique, the way he addressed the ball and the speed of his cue action. I’ve seen a few players slow down their cue action as they get that bit older, and while it may only seem minor, lots have done it. Whether O’Sullivan will stick with it, only time will tell, but if anyone can learn new tricks, it’s him.

You’d have to say that Trump is still struggling to find his very best form. He’s still won a big title – the Champion of Champions – this season, but he’s not quite at the top of his game and who knows, perhaps he’ll be one who arrives in Sheffield fresh and is able to turn it on. He’s another former world champion and I don’t think he’ll stay quiet for too long.

Tour Championship qualification hots up

He does need big results, though, and fast, if he’s to qualify for the Tour Championship – the event that now precedes the World Championship this year. Trump, like Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson, is currently outside the top eight on the 1 Ranking List which makes up the final field.

This has become a really prestigious event in a short space of time and qualifying for it means you earn £20,000 just for turning up. It is a significant reward for performances throughout the season and I’ve talked to a few players who tell me it’s been a big target of theirs over the past few months.

At the moment, Hawkins is clinging on to that eighth spot, but the likes of Yan and Ricky Walden aren’t far behind, while Trump and Selby will probably need trophies from the remaining four qualifying events in order to sneak in through the back door.

It certainly makes for an interesting few weeks, and in fact, adds another dimension to the latter stages of the campaign and preparations for the World Championship. The Tour Championship, with its longer matches, is generally viewed as the perfect warm-up for Sheffield but this year’s World Championship might have a completely different feel to it if Selby, who will be defending champion in April, and Trump, are forced to come into the biggest tournament of the season cold. There really is so much to play for in the upcoming events.

More from Neal Foulds

• Snooker thriving ahead of big clash
• Masters delivers tournament for the ages
• Ronnie ready for Masters bid
• Remarkable O'Sullivan thrills once again
• A star is born as Zhao realises potential
• Roll on York with Selby set to shine
• The best is yet to come from Robertson
• Allen prevails but Higgins a true great
• Belfast braced for Trump title defence