NRL 2021: Valentine Holmes avoids suspension after being put on report
There hasn’t been much good news for Queensland this week, but Maroons coach Paul Green can breathe a sigh of relief.
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Queensland has received a dose of good news with Cowboys star Valentine Holmes avoiding suspension following the Cowboys’ 50-18 loss to the Sea Eagles.
Holmes was placed on report for a shoulder charge as he tried to stop Manly’s Haumole Olakau’atu from scoring a try in the shadows of halftime.
A charge would have ruled the star fullback out of next week’s game against his former side Cronulla, as well as Origin II given the loading he accrued from a similar incident in Round 20 that forced him out of Game One of the 2020 series.
But the NRL’s match review decided Holmes didn’t have a case to answer, meaning Maroons coach Paul Green has one less headache as he tries to plot Queensland’s comeback from their series-opening smashing.
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SEA EAGLES HIT TOP GEAR WITHOUT TURBO
It turns out the Sea Eagles are more than just a one-man team after they recovered from a dreadful start to hammer the Cowboys 50-18 as Tom Trbojevic cheered on from the coaching box.
One-eyed Manly supporters headed to 4 Pines Park wondering how many local lagers they’d need to drown their sorrows after news filtered through earlier in the week that their superstar No. 1 would be rested after his State of Origin heroics.
But they needn’t have worried as his teammates picked up the slack to shore up their place in sixth position with a big win over their nearest rival.
“There’s a bit of a stigma that we’re not a team without Tom,” Sea Eagles skipper Daly Cherry-Evans said.
“This was a good night in trying to shake that tag.
“We are a better side with Tom in it – make no mistake – but we’ve built really nicely, and we’ve put ourselves in a position that when Tom is out, we’re a bit clearer on how we can play.”
Turbo’s aerial feats weren’t lost as Haumole Olakau’atu soared like an eagle to score two first-half tries from kicks, fill-in fullback Reuben Garrick returned a kick 95 metres to score, while the halves relentlessly peppered the ruck and wound back the clock when Kieran Foran latched onto a Daly Cherry-Evans grubber.
This is the same team that was tipped to get the spoon after they scored just 47 points in the first five rounds with Trbojevic out injured, but they’ve evolved since then and loom as the roughies to watch in the finals.
“We’ve had a fair bit of time to deal with it and process what it’s like when Tom isn’t playing,” Cherry-Evans said.
“No one will replace Tom – Tom is an important part of our team – but if Tom isn’t playing, no one can be Tom.”
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MEN AGAINST COWBOYS
Queensland’s awful week continued as their leading team was taught a rugby league lesson by a team that wore maroon but played with blue pride.
The Cowboys looked set to pick up two crucial points after they jumped out to a 12-0 lead inside seven minutes thanks to a couple of classy Scott Drinkwater try assists, but they quickly discovered that you have to defend if you want to win in the NRL.
Their new-look right edge looked like they’d never met before as new recruit Tom Dearden, Justin O’Neill and Javid Bowen were torn to shreds by a team missing the competition’s best attacking weapon as well as Josh Schuster.
Dearden’s club debut was one to forget as he sent a kick sailing out on the full, but he had plenty of company on North Queensland’s sinking ship as the club racked up an embarrassing 38 missed tackles to Manly’s 15.
“I reckon we just thought it was going to happen for us,” Todd Payten said.
“It was a really good lesson for us. It was a reality check and it’s a chance to recalibrate as a team.”
FULTON HONOURED
Manly’s thumping win was extra special as Sea Eagles fans paid tribute to Immortal Bob Fulton in their first home game since the club great passed away.
The hill rose as one for a stirring standing ovation after 175 seconds to honour Fulton, who was the 175th player to pull on the famous jersey.
“It was a great tribute to a great custodian,” Des Hasler said.
Originally published as NRL 2021: Valentine Holmes avoids suspension after being put on report
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