In a story that reads less like a darts headline and more like a grim noir script, former junior world champion Corey Cadby — once hailed as the incandescent future of Australian darts — now finds himself staring at the darkest chapter of his turbulent life.
The 30-year-old Tasmanian firebrand was found guilty of aggravated residential burglary this week, after a Supreme Court trial in Burnie that felt, at times, like the final act of a Greek tragedy.
Cadby, who once strutted across the PDC stage with the swagger of a young gunslinger, hasn’t been seen in professional orbit since his dramatic appearance at European Q-School — a run that ended with him winning a day outright and reclaiming a Tour Card he never used. He left Germany with a licence to resurrect his career. He never came back.
Now the prodigy once dubbed the “future world champion in waiting” faces sentencing for a crime that has shaken even those long accustomed to his off-stage volatility.
The Night Everything Broke
A jury concluded that Cadby, alongside two accomplices, forced entry into the home of his uncle, Dean Smart, in Elizabeth Town. Smart was attacked while asleep — a brutal assault that left him with a fractured skull. Yet the court could not determine beyond reasonable doubt whether Cadby delivered the blow himself. He was, therefore, acquitted of the direct assault, but the burglary conviction stands like an immovable storm cloud.
According to The Sun, Smart and his wife insisted they recognised Cadby’s voice and silhouette during the chaos. The jury, however, found the claim inconclusive. One crime proven, one charge escaped — the kind of split verdict that satisfies no one.
A Meteoric Rise, A Chaotic Fall
To understand the magnitude of this collapse, you must remember who Cadby was supposed to be.
He exploded onto the scene in 2016, a snarling, fearless, generational talent who won the World Youth Championship with the kind of swagger you can’t teach. Within months, he was terrifying the seniors. At 21, he toppled Phil Taylor — the greatest of all time — and then bulldozed his way to the UK Open final on debut, losing only to Gary Anderson after a run that felt like the unveiling of a future monarch.
People whispered he was the “Mario Balotelli of darts”: unpredictable brilliance paired with off-stage chaos. The comparison now feels painfully prophetic. Visa issues. Legal troubles. Travel bans. Withdrawals. Fines. Court dates. And behind all of it — a career that seemed to dissolve in real time. His talent was once volcanic. But volcanoes also destroy.
The Confession Before the Collapse
In 2024, in a rare moment of raw honesty, Cadby revealed the depth of his internal war. “I did let a lot of people down at the end and I’m totally ashamed of that,” he said. “Each day was so hard and that obviously led to alcohol. I was never one bit happy, I was actually depressed every day.” Then came the darkest admission of all: “I didn’t want to wake up and to be honest, there was thoughts of suicide on my mind.” Those words, already chilling at the time, now echo with devastating clarity.
The Road Now Covered in Shadows
Cadby’s return in 2023 — a triumphant Q-School renaissance — should have been a comeback tale for the ages. But the resurgence lasted barely weeks. The tour card evaporated. The drive evaporated. And now, in a Tasmanian courtroom, the last vestiges of the fairy tale have evaporated too. Although acquitted of the assault, the aggravated burglary conviction carries the threat of a significant stretch behind bars, and sentencing will be confirmed in due course.
For the darts world — a sport built on redemption arcs, second chances and unlikely heroes — Cadby’s downfall remains a punch to the gut. A chronicle of what might have been, what should have been, and what now will almost certainly never be. The kid who once looked destined for Ally Pally glory now stands miles from the oche, engulfed not by spotlights but by the consequences of choices made far from any dartboard.
Once a prodigy. Once a phenomenon. Now a cautionary tale. Whether Corey Cadby ever returns to the highest level feels, after this verdict, not just unlikely — but almost impossible.
—–ENDS—–
T Lanning / PDC
