NRL 2022: How NFL stint primed Valentine Holmes for matchwinning field goal
North Queensland Cowboys matchwinner Valentine Holmes’ stint in the NFL was widely panned as a failure but his time in the USA had a silver lining.
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Valentine Holmes says his failed NFL stint had a silver lining, revealing it instilled the ruthless professionalism that underpinned his golden-point heroics to ignite the Cowboys’ premiership assault.
Holmes produced one of the finest moments of his career on Saturday night, landing a booming 45-metre field goal to break the hearts of his former Cronulla club in a 32-30 heartstopper at Shark Park.
It was the ultimate moment of redemption for Holmes, who has copped criticism for his patchy form at the Cowboys since his return to the NRL following his ambitious 12-month stint in America in 2019 trying to crack the NFL.
While Holmes failed to win an NFL contract, the Queensland Origin ace insists he has no regrets, claiming his year-long tenure rubbing shoulders with America’s finest athletes helped steel him to step-up as a match-winner in the Sharks qualifying final.
“It was unreal, I’m lost for words,” Holmes said in the Cowboys’ sheds as he savoured his golden-point glory.
“I don’t regret going to America. It was definitely an experience worth doing and the lessons of that experience have stayed with me.
“I got a good insight into professionalism; what it takes to be the best in your sport.
“Before I went to America, I was a kid at the Sharks. I was 21 when I won the comp (in 2016).
“I would usually muck around during the week at training and then come game time I would switch on, but going to the US, I appreciated how serious they were preparing for games.
“It didn’t matter if you were a rookie or a 10-year veteran. There was no mucking around.
Everyone prepared as if every game was their last game and it can be in the NFL if you have a bad season because it’s so cut throat.
“I’ve brought that attitude back to the Cowboys. Mentally I am better at preparing my mind and body for games.”
Underlining his mental resolve, Holmes had three shots at field goal in the warm-up at Shark Park. He missed all three. But when the pressure was on in the clutch moment of golden point, Holmes relished the chance to be the Cowboys’ Iceman.
“I saw Val miss three in the warm-up,” Cowboys coach Todd Payten said with a wry grin. “But he just loves the big moments and the big crowds, which is great, it’s what you need from your best players.
“Val had a carry in that same set and he said to the boys as he got up to play the ball and ran off, ‘I’m taking a shot’.
“That’s what happened. He was dialled in and delivered, which was awesome.”
Amid the chaos, Holmes recalled the cool-headed planning behind his two-point field goal, which broke a 30-all deadlock after Cronulla and the Cowboys failed to score in 10 minutes of extra-time.
“I just wanted ‘Rubes’ (Reuben Cotter) and ‘Jase’ (Jason Taumalolo) to get the last two carries on plays four and five, they get the most ruck speed and quick play-the-balls for us,” Holmes explained.
“They each have 15 metres in them and that’s all I needed.
“It was well planned. I was yelling at Rubes to take a hit up and then Jase took the next one.
“I just needed them to get over halfway and be near the 40-metre mark to give me the best opportunity to kick it. That’s my job to kick those. That’s what me and ‘Chaddy’ (Townsend) practise for and it paid off in a game situation like that.
“It was my best ever field goal considering the occasion and the timing of that game. This is where my career started, right here at Shark Park in the home shed. It felt different being on the other side of the tunnel but it’s just unreal.
“I haven’t been back here since I last played for the Sharks in 2018 so to win in a game like this was amazing.
“In the warm up, I had three shots at field goal and missed them all. I don’t know what it is. I always miss shots at training, too, but when it counts in games, I can get them.”
We can win it: Payten’s bold declaration
Cowboys coach Todd Payten has put NRL finals rivals on notice, declaring North Queensland can defy the odds to clinch a fairytale premiership in the wake of their Shark Park miracle.
Payten was a member of the history-making Wests Tigers team which shocked the NRL world with their epic charge to the 2005 premiership and, almost two decades later, the Cowboys coach is daring to dream again.
North Queensland were $101 longshots to win this year’s title with bookmakers but the Cowboys are now one win from a grand-final appearance after their extraordinary 32-30 golden-point defeat of the Sharks in Saturday night’s qualifying final.
It caps a remarkable turnaround for the Cowboys, who almost claimed the wooden spoon last year, finishing second last, in a season of disaster that had Payten fighting for his job in Townsville.
“I was always convinced we could win it (the premiership) – and I know the players believe it,” said Payten, who scored the match-sealing try for the Tigers in the 2005 grand final, ironically against the Cowboys.
“We still have some work to do and we will need some time to rest and recover over this next little period, but we are fortunate we are going home in front of our home crowd to play in a prelim to get in a grand final.
“We deserve to be there.”
Asked why he believes the Cowboys can claim their first title since the club’s watershed premiership breakthrough against the Broncos in 2015, Payten said: “It’s a number of things.
“I know when we get our attacking game right, we play a bit different than most other teams and I have always felt from early in the season we have shown some character around the way we compete.
“The message we have been trying to sell as coaches for well over 12 months became self-fulfilling in the early part of the season.
“The players believe they can win it and they are the most important ones.
“I can tell them we have plenty of talent and plenty of character but they have to believe it.
“We have proven it to ourselves time and time again (they have the mental toughness to win the premiership) and this win is another example of that.”
How Cowboys snatched last-gasp stunner in game of the year
Valentine Holmes, you are a bloody genius.
North Queensland are within one win of a fairytale grand final after they smashed their Cronulla curse with the Houdini act of the season, Holmes sinking the Sharks with a golden-point field goal to clinch a 32-30 miracle.
In a gripping qualifying final before 12,447 fans at Shark Park, the Cowboys and Cronulla played out one of the greatest games of the modern era, trading blows in 93 minutes of madness before North Queensland found a hero in Holmes.
Incredibly, the Cowboys looked gone after two Cronulla tries in the 57th and 67th minutes left North Queensland on life support at 30-22.
But with the Cowboys about to flatline, Todd Payten’s troops conjured the greatest of great escapes, Holmes kicking a 73rd minute penalty goal before Jason Taumalolo crashed over 17 seconds from time for 30-30.
Remarkable.
Underlining the tightness of the contest, scores were locked 18-all at half-time, 30-all at full-time and 30-all at the end of 10 minutes of extra time - plunging the two teams into a desperate golden-point slugfest.
In the end, the Cowboys stayed the coolest and the ultimate Iceman was Holmes, who snapped a 45-metre, two-point field goal to send his teammates into delirium and plunge the dagger into his former Sharks club.
The Cowboys now enjoy a week off and will play the winner of the Eels-Raiders clash in a preliminary final blockbuster in Townsville, while the Sharks face the victor of the Roosters-Souths showdown next week.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is adamant his shattered side can bounce back next week to keep their title dream alive.
“There’s a mixture of pride and disappointment, we have to dust ourselves off,” he said.
“It’s the best fitness session we will have. It was a great battle, I am really disappointed in just two sets.”
Asked about the sin-binning of Connor Tracey in the lead-up to Holmes’ late penalty goal for 30-24, Fitzgibbon said: “It was a huge moment, we were hanging in there and we lost our cool a bit with 12 men.
“I didn’t think he actually touched him, he got in his line of sight, it’s another moment to consider but we have to get over it and move on.”
SHARK PARK SHOOTOUT
As finals games go, this was as high-octane as it gets.
Shark Park is traditionally home to greasy, scrappy affairs but Cronulla and the Cowboys resembled two world-class heavyweights as they went blow for blow in a sizzling Saturday night shootout.
Both sides produced peerless ball movement. Cronulla’s back-man plays were a tribute to first-class execution, while the Cowboys exposed the Sharks’ left edge with rapid-fire shifts.
The 30-all full-time scoreline was entirely fitting. In all, there were five lead changes. It was pulsating stuff. It was the Cowboys’ first win over the Sharks in nine games and four years.
MAJOR TOM
Cowboys coach Todd Payten made a late switch by pitchforking Tom Gilbert into the starting side and the Queensland Origin rookie didn’t disappoint.
Gilbert was the best Cowboy on the field in the first half, opening the scoring in the eighth minute when he soared for a Chad Townsend high kick and squeezed the ball between two Sharks defenders for a 6-0 lead.
North Queensland’s early line speed was outstanding and Gilbert set the standard. The Minister for Defence showed no respect for self-preservation as he tore into Cronulla ball-runners. His passion and intent was a barometer of the Cowboys’ attitude without the ball.
DEAR OH DEARDEN
Cowboys pivot Tom Dearden showed no ill-effects from recent testicle surgery with one of the solo tries of the season that ignited the visitors’ furious first-half fightback.
With his side trailing 12-6, Dearden stunned the Sharks with a glorious dummy-half snipe, producing a show-and-go before slicing through and torching Sharks fullback Will Kennedy to level scores inside 29 minutes.
The Cowboys then had two tries in three minutes when Jason Taumalolo delivered one of the finest plays of his career. The 115kg forward looked like Andrew Johns as he unleashed a sublime 25-metre spiral pass to release Peta Hiku, who swatted away two Sharks defenders to complete a remarkable 45-metre movement.
Suddenly, the Cowboys were ahead 18-12. Shark Park was deathly silent.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Holmes will go down in Cowboys folklore for his latest field-goal heroics.
The Queensland Origin star won a premiership at Cronulla in 2016 and he came back to haunt his former club with another fine game that has continued his magnificent 2022 season in the centres.
Just 12 months ago, Holmes was out of touch and there were rumours the Cowboys wanted to offload the former Shark, who had struggled to adjust to the NRL again after his failed 12-month stint in American Football.
But Holmes underlined the Power of One at Shark Park with a deadly right boot that has edged Payten’s troops one step closer to premiership immortality.
SHARK ATTACK
The Sharks are in danger of going out in straight sets but premiership forward Wade Graham is confident Cronulla can bounce back against the Roosters or Rabbitohs.
“It was a decent game to play in,” he said. “The disappointment is there right now but we have to fight back next week.
“We scored 30 points and the way we defended this year, we would get the job done usually, but we are back to work tomorrow to get ready for next week.”
Fitzgibbon added: “We will be OK mentally, I am confident we will be ready to go.”
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