Neil Robertson reckons he must silence Ronnie O’Sullivan’s rowdy help early on Thursday afternoon of their Masters quarter-final.
The 34-year-old initially from Australia however now primarily based in Cambridge admits that clashes between the pair all the time have the texture of an Ashes-style rivalry.
Individuals’s Champion O’Sullivan, going for a document seventh title at Alexandra Palace, is assured of raucous and partisan backing in his personal London again yard.
However Robertson thrashed the Rocket 6-1 in the identical event two years in the past, and can draw on these reminiscences regardless of two huge losses to O’Sullivan final yr.
And he’s sure that exerting an early stranglehold and stamping his authority on the match will quieten O’Sullivan’s followers and provides him one of the best probability of success.
Robertson, who gained the Masters 5 years in the past, mentioned: “It all the time looks like Australia towards England within the cricket after I play Ronnie.
“You definitely can really feel like you’re up towards the group taking part in him, particularly right here on the Masters on his residence patch.
“And in case you are not prepared for it, then it may well get to gamers that sort of help and affect them.
“It’s like in soccer should you go to Stamford Bridge or Outdated Trafford, you want to hold the group quiet early so that they don’t have something to get enthusiastic about.
“If you happen to can put strain on him right away then he can miss a couple of they usually get pissed off.
“He’s the one participant the place the group can affect you, and that’s the reason it’s all the time a implausible ambiance whenever you play him. I can’t wait.
“Regardless of the current defeats, three or 4 of the titles I’ve gained I beat Ronnie alongside the way in which and I’m trying to win as many huge titles as potential now.
“We performed twice final yr, final season within the Welsh Open last which I let slip a bit actually, after which this season on the European Masters in Romania when he performed fantastically properly.
“He was virtually unpayable that day, however I really feel as if I had gone into that match within the type I’m in now, it will have been a unique story.
“I used to be off my recreation and he took benefit, he can do this to anybody. And within the Welsh Open I used to be 5-2 up, may have been 6-2, and he bought on a roll when he has exhausting to cease.
“I misplaced the plot going out to China and that frustration boiled over within the subsequent few occasions. I wasn’t actually in a position to put issues proper as there weren’t the gaps within the schedule.
“And we had a run of 4 weeks the place should you had been struggling you missed out on some title and cash, sadly that occurred to me.
“However I practised actually exhausting over Christmas, and in addition over in Norway on Kurt Maflin’s desk there the place I used to be spending time with my household.”
