Dragons land Valentine Holmes in $2.5m deal as Cowboys era ends

Queensland and Cowboys star Valentine Holmes has revealed his next club after signing a three-year deal beginning next season.

NRL 2024 RD22 Wests Tigers v North Queensland Cowboys - Valentine Holmes. Picture: NRL Photos

The St George Illawarra Dragons have landed a significant signing coup with star outside back Valentine Holmes set to join the club on a three-year deal beginning next season.

According to a report from The Daily Telegraph, Holmes has been released from the final year of his Cowboys contract to take up an offer on the New South Wales south coast, reuniting him with former coach Shane Flanagan.

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Flanagan coached Holmes at the Cronulla Sharks, where the pair won the 2016 Premiership and previously stated ‘there’s a space’ at the club for the Maroons representative.

Holmes’ deal is reportedly worth $2.5 million, with his signature significant to the Dragons for many reasons.

One of those being the fact he fills the void vacated by Zac Lomax’s end of season departure, in terms of genuine star power, back line versatility, and crucially goalkicking.

He follows Souths hooker Damien Cook as the club’s second signing for next season.

Holmes’ arrival at the club is a major boost for the resurgent Dragons, and a huge vote of confidence in Flanagan - who has missed out on several key signings since joining the club.

Holmes is on the move. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Since Flanagan’s arrival at the club at the end of last year the Dragons have missed out on signing Tom Dearden (re-signed by the Cowboys), Addin Fonua-Blake (signed with rivals the Sharks), Super League star Jack Welsby (signed long-term St Helens deal) and Joseph Manu.

Both Heilum Luki and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki were targeted by the club without signing, while the club were unable to lure recruitment guru Peter O’Sullivan back.

It left the Dragons without a star recruit outside of Damien Cook heading into the 2024 season, with many expecting the club to struggle in Flanagan’s first season at the helm.

Entering this season, the Dragons coach told the record he was “disappointed” by the clubs failure to land a star signing but noted “there will be options over the next 12 months.”

Holmes is one of these options, with Flanagan finally able to secure his man and strengthen his already impressive side with a representative calibre player able to fill in at wing, centre or even fullback, depending on where the Dragons need him most.

The club’s ability to sign a significant star so soon after missing out on other exceptional recruits is a sign the club are on the right trajectory, which includes a potential finals berth in 2024 - despite a bitterly disappointing loss to fierce rivals the Bulldogs over the weekend.

What makes St George’s signing of the 29-year-old is the fact they fended off significant interest from the Sydney Roosters, who are armed with a $3 million war chest for 2025 following the end of season departures of Manu, Luke Keary, Joseph Sua’ali’i and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

According to The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield, Holmes was incredibly interested in a move to Bondi next season.

“There’s another really interesting sideline to this story in that Val Holmes and his manager went banging on the door of the Sydney Roosters not so long ago,” Rothfield said on a recent episode of NRL 360.

“Knowing Joseph Suaalii and Joey Manu were leaving, he’s great mates with Chad Townsend and he would have been very comfortable in that system.”

Holmes is set to end his five year stint at the Cowboys. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

As for the Cowboys, the departure of Holmes, one of the club’s most experienced players, alongside fellow locker room leaders Townsend and Jake Granville means the 2025 season will be the dawn of a new era at North Queensland.

Todd Payten’s side, who are currently well in the hunt for a top four berth this season, will begin the season with a castle change roster, one with over 600 games less experience than it currently boasts.

Alongside the three players already set to depart the club at season’s end, veterans Jordan McLean and Kyle Feldt’s contracts expire at the end of 2024, while the future of Jason Taumalolo remains in the air following his recent injury issues.

Townsend’s replacement opens the door for Jake Clifford, or young gun Thomas Duffy, to assume the club’s No.7 responsibilities, while Zac Laybutt, who impressed early this season before suffering a season-ending knee injury, firms as Holmes’ likeliest replacement.

With so many stalwarts of the club’s recent successful run, and one of the few remaining members of the Cowboys miraculous 2015 grand final win, the Cowboys could become a dangerous team to face over the back end of the season as their 2024 takes on a ‘last dance’ feel.

Originally published as Dragons land Valentine Holmes in $2.5m deal as Cowboys era ends