Keane Barry's attempt at adding the PDC World Darts Championship to his resume came to a sudden halt at the hands of former winner Gerwyn Price on Monday night.
Meath native Barry stormed to a 3-1 victory over Kim Huybrechts on Sunday evening to set up Monday's second round meeting with Price, who has been out of form going into the event.
Barry was impressive in that win over Huybrechts, showing maturity and nerve on the oche to beat the Belgian with a 94.97 average and he was 50% on doubles.
The Duleek native, who hit an impressive seven 180s in that win, would have troubled Price had he maintained that form into Monday's action.
However, the 22-year-old faltered on the outer-ring, missing 22 of his 24 attempts at doubles in a 3-0 defeat to 2021 champion Price.
Price, who won nine of the 11 legs played, averaged just 91 - a far cry from the form which won him the title.
Barry however, carded an average of just 86 - a significant drop-off from his impressive performance last weekend.
There was great hype around Barry when he made his PDC World Championship debut back in 2019, where he set the record as the youngest ever competitor in tournament history.
He came into that event after a series of successes at youth level, including winning the JDC World Youth Championship.
That record was beaten by teen sensation Luke Littler 12 months ago, the Premier League champion reaching the final on debut.
Much has been expected of Barry and his best run of his senior career came at the 2022 UK Open, when he put in his best performance to beat James Wade and reach the semi-finals.
However, he has failed to rise up the rankings in the sport since that statement win.
Darts pundit details why Keane Barry is struggling to reach his potential
Darts pundit and referee Jack Garwood chimed in on Barry's struggles on X, highlighting his inconsistency as a prime concern as he struggles to live up to the hype.
Might be a bit harsh to say, but this is a very Keane Barry performance," Garwood wrote.
"He's clearly got talent, but he needs to put it all together far more often to reach his potential."
'There isn’t a single segment on a board that me or you can’t hit. The difference at the pro level is how often they repeat that under pressure."
Barry has failed to advance beyond round two at Alexandra Palace in six attempts, a stat indicative of his inconsistent form.
He has had multiple averages north of 95 but also averages in the 70s when competing at the famed competition.
Still just 22, he has plenty of time on his side but it is clear he needs to find more consistency if he is to break into the world's top 32.
