Valentine Holmes breaks silence but fails to reveal what was in that infamous white bag

In his first interview since posting a photo of himself to social media with a white bag, Valentine Holmes failed to set the record straight. READ WHAT HE SAID

Valentine Holmes says he feared he would never play for Australia again and has vowed to repay the faith of Test coach Mal Meninga in the wake of his white-bag scandal.

Cowboys and Queensland Origin ace Holmes has finally broken a 45-day silence on his off-field ordeal ahead of his return to the Australian side for Saturday night’s trans-Tasman Test against the Kiwis in Melbourne.

Holmes was slapped with a $100,000 fine – $50,000 of which was suspended – and banned for one match by the NRL and North Queensland for his role in the social media brain explosion that jeopardised his Test career.

The Cowboys centre was hit with a breach notice by the NRL after Holmes posted a picture on his Instagram account on September 10 of a bag in his mouth with what appeared to be white powder.

Holmes immediately deleted the image and later submitted a statement to the NRL integrity unit insisting he had not used cocaine or any illicit substance, saying it was a childish prank gone wrong.

Valentine Holmes with what appears to be a bag of white powder in his mouth.

The 28-year-old was suspended for Australia’s opening Test against Samoa a fortnight ago.

While Holmes did not specifically address what was in the white bag, the veteran Origin and Test star said the ordeal was a wake-up call and vowed to atone for his conduct – starting against the Kiwis at AAMI Park.

Asked what was in the white bag, a tight-lipped Holmes said: “I made my statement to the NRL, the integrity unit and the club. I prefer to leave it at that.

“Being in camp, it’s a pleasure to be here, I can’t believe Mal has given his confidence in me to do the job for Australia.”

Pressed on whether he meant to upload the image to social media, Holmes replied: “No, I will leave it at that and the statement I have left with the integrity unit.

“I am happy to answer any questions you have on Australia.”

While evasive on the white-bag fiasco, Holmes was brutally candid about the impact of the saga, and the potential repercussions for his representative career.

Valentine Holmes is part of the Australian team in the Pacific Championships. Picture: NRL Photos

Kangaroos coach Meninga has made it clear he has no interest picking troublemakers who could tarnish the famous Australian rugby league brand and Holmes admits he wondered if he would wear the green-and-gold again.

“Definitely ... not only with what happened (with the white-bag drama), but because I hadn’t played the last four games for the Cowboys as well due to a suspension through my high tackle,” he said.

“I didn’t think he (Meninga) would select me.

“I had been training but it was the games I was missing out on. It’s been almost 10 or 11 weeks since I played a game of footy, so to see the trust Mal has put into me ... I think my next Test is my 20th so that will be a big milestone for myself.

“It’s an honour to be here. Everyone knows how successful Mal was as a coach and player. To have him backing me in such a huge occasion with the Pacific Nations (series), there’s only three games and I couldn’t play in one of them.

“There’s plenty of guys who can play wing and centre, so for Mal to have his trust and back me to do the job ... I have to pay him back, as well as my club and my family.

“I can’t wait to get back on the footy field and show some positives.”

Holmes has been fined $100,000, half of which has been suspended. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Holmes’ Test future was in limbo when he was overlooked for the Australia Prime Minister’s XIII’s trip to Papua New Guinea last month.

The 19-Test stalwart was ultimately chosen in Australia’s squad for the Pacific Championships against Samoa and New Zealand, but not before some serious conversations with Meninga and his family.

“I had some tough talks with my family and my wife’s side of the family,” he said. “They all gave me support.

“It was a tough couple of days, but like anything, you have to move on, move forward, be better and learn from it.

“It was around the Prime Minister’s game that Mal had a word to me. He said I wasn’t going to be playing with them, but past that he gave me another call and wanted me to be in camp, not knowing what would happen with the suspension.

“He kept in touch with me and we went back and forth with the NRL and they gave me a one-game suspension.

“I just kind of got it over with the integrity unit. It was during the finals period, too. It was lingering quite a bit. I couldn’t get my statement out until after the last game and the grand final, so that was a bit annoying, but we got there in the end.

“We are here now, I am doing something positive and I can’t wait to play. It’s been a big learning curve.”

Originally published as Valentine Holmes breaks silence but fails to reveal what was in that infamous white bag