Dragons star Valentine Holmes admits he “hasn’t earned” a spot in Queensland‘s team for the upcoming State of Origin series opener after a tough start to the year.
Holmes has been in poor form with the winless Red V, who find themselves in a period of turmoil after sacking head coach Shane Flanagan, putting his position in jeopardy.
The long-time Maroons stalwart played in game two and game three last year, both won by Queensland, and has scored 13 tries in 22 appearances for his state in an outstanding Origin career but faces stiff competition from a number of other outside backs.
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The 30-year-old could still be selected given Xavier Coates hasn’t played all season and Billy Slater is known for picking and sticking with players who have performed.
However, when the topic of Origin selection was broached with Holmes on Wednesday, the St George Illawarra centre conceded it wasn’t his main priority.
Valentine Holmes speaks to media. Nine
“If you asked me this a few years ago when I was a bit younger, it probably would be playing a fair bit on my mind,” he said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in the Origin arena a fair bit and being under Billy, one thing he’s always said is no matter how many times you’ve worn the jersey, you’ve got to earn it … and I haven’t earned it this year
“It is what it is, we’re not playing great footy, I’m not playing great footy and the selectors want to be selecting players who are playing good and playing confidently.
“I think we’ve got two or three games until Origin comes back, so hopefully I can play well within that [period] and hopefully put myself up for selection.
“At the moment, I’m focused on the Dragons and trying to get our first win.”
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Holmes has scored two tries and set up another two this season for the Saints, but has been ordinary in defence with 36 missed tackles in eight matches.
The fleet-footed speedster hasn’t been alone in that department for the Red V and while the defensive issues have been clear – especially during the Anzac Day hammering against the Roosters – Holmes believes their biggest problem comes with ball in hand.
“We’ve looked at our stats, I think our completion rates are pretty low,” Holmes said.
Dragons players on Anzac Day. Getty
“Our attack hasn’t been great, which is leading to our defence not being up to standard.
“I still feel like we defend OK, but if you do too much of it, it will fatigue you and you start leaking points. We lack a bit of confidence when we make yardage errors and if you give teams a sniff of that, they’re gonna put points on you.
“When you’re in a streak like this, you try and do the Hail Marys all the time and try to shift the ball and all those sorts of things, but we need to focus on going through the middle and earning the respect before going out wide.”
Interim coach Dean Young has made some bold decisions since taking over, with the decision to axe Kyle Flanagan and replace him with rookie Kade Reed top of the list.
The 20-year-old local junior had a tough introduction to the NRL before the round nine bye, but Holmes is confident Reed can turn things around.
Kade Reed. NRL Imagery
“I think the way Youngy has shown trust in him, putting him in a game like that after the week we went through with our coaches, it only gives him more confidence,” he said.
“I thought he played pretty well [against the Roosters] considering we played with 12 men for 20 minutes and we didn’t really have much ball.
“I thought he attacked the line well and steered us around really well. It’s hard for a young 20-year-old to steer a team like this around when we’re going the way we are.
“He speaks well in meetings and today at training he was good – I’ve got all the confidence in him that he will get better every week.
“He’s too good to be playing Cup at the moment and he’s definitely earned his position.”
The big inclusion for the Dragons this weekend against the Newcastle Knights is the long-awaited return of young forward Dylan Egan from an ACL injury.
Dylan Egan starred in his limited appearances in 2025. NRL Imagery
The beloved Gerringong Lions product came back through reserve grade recently and Holmes is looking forward to reuniting with the man they call ‘Eagle’ on Saturday.
“It’s a cool story, it gives me goosebumps talking about it,” Holmes said.
“He’s just such a humble kid, he’s a hard worker and he’s emotional. He talks a fair bit about his journey here, he’s been through a fair bit of bad injuries and to still fight hard and compete … he’s just the type of guy you want in your team.
“I’m so happy to be outside him.”
St George Illawarra will host the Knights at WIN Stadium on Saturday afternoon.