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Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson

Crucible 147 break hero Neil Robertson proud of incredible season despite agonising World Championship defeat

By Chris Hammer
22:31 · TUE April 26, 2022

Neil Robertson won’t let his dramatic defeat at the World Championship detract from a season he feels came close to becoming one of the best in history.

The Thunder from Down Under was among the favourites to end his 12-year wait for a second Crucible title but despite producing a stunning 147 break against Jack Lisowski, he eventually bowed out 13-12 in the tie of the tournament so far.

Robertson brought the crowd to its feet when becoming just the eighth different player to record one of the 12 maximums at snooker’s spiritual home and was still on a high about joining the elite club during his post-match press conference.

Indeed, the upbeat and sporting Aussie even went as far as saying it was the happiest he’d felt after a defeat for many years and was keen to offer his congratulations to his opponent, who reached his first Crucible quarter-final.

Robertson said: “It was an incredible match played in the right way, we both kept going for our shots and I have nothing but praise for Jack, he handled himself well and played the match of his life.

“To make the 147 was unbelievable and tops the season off because that is on everyone’s bucket list, to make a maximum at the Crucible. It was amazing because my mum was also in the crowd and she was buzzing!

“When I was the first player to make a 100 centuries in a season, that was also great but also a sense of relief. Whereas the 147 was completely different. When you pot the black and go up for the yellow it feels like 1000 people literally on your shoulders urging you to do it.

“The final black was exactly the same position as the one Ken Doherty missed at the 2000 Masters and I had that come into my mind for a second! I told the voice inside my head to shut up but that’s why I went up to laugh with Ken in the commentary box afterwards.

“It did come at a funny time in the match, usually you’d prefer it to happen early on rather than to go 10-9 up so maybe it took something out of me but I can’t complain. It was an unbelievable match.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH ALL THE CRUCIBLE MAXIMUM BREAKS

“Before the tournament I said it’s not about winning or losing, it’s playing the way I want to play and Jack stood up to that challenge. If I’d had the same approach in previous seasons I may have won a few more times. I’ve just got to keep playing here on my terms and if my opponent plays the match of his life then so be it.

“I sit here now as the happiest I’ve been after a defeat for 10 years.”

Robertson had enjoyed a quite remarkable season, winning the English Open, Players Championship, the Masters and the prestigious Tour Championship earlier this month when he came from 9-4 down to beat John Higgins 10-4.

Only Ronnie O’Sullivan denied him glory in the World Grand Prix when losing an epic final 10-8 so Robertson can understandably brand his campaign a roaring success.

He said: “The season I've had has been the season of absolute dreams. If I'd gone on to win here, it would probably have been the greatest season anyone has had in the sport.

“I won four huge titles, reached another final and hit a 147 at the Crucible. It’s unbelievable so I can go away now and have a great holiday with the family.”

Robertson was asked whether he holds fears about playing at the Crucible, where he hasn’t gone as far as the semi-finals since 2014 and has previously spoken about whether the tournament should change venue.

But he replied: “Look, if I only win it once, you look at my record, how could I possibly complain about my career when you look at so many players struggling just to stay on the tour.

"A bit like the situation where Pep Guardiola keeps getting asked how come he’s not won the Champions League with (Manchester) City.

"I’ve had an unbelievable career, achieved everything that I never could have dreamed of 100 times over, so it’s not an issue for me coming here.”

Lisowski, who is a six-time ranking finalist, has been criticised in the past for struggling to get over the line in crunch encounters, so it wasn’t lost on Robertson about how big an achievement it was for his opponent.

He said: “I was looking at the stats before the final session and apart from long shots, I’d potted 223 out of 229 in the match so any other day I’d have been leading 10-6 rather than being 9-7 down. So that shows you how well he played.

“It was great to see how he came back at me after I went ahead because we’ve waiting a long time for that. He used to struggle in those moments when matches got close. It was fine margins but I’m certainly not going to bemoan my luck because I got the run of the ball in the Masters and Tour Championship!”

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