Valentine Holmes makes admission about wife after subtle dig at Cowboys over Dragons move

Valentine Holmes has praised the role Dragons coach Shane Flanagan played in convincing his wife that a move away from North Queensland was right thing for the Cowboys superstar. Holmes put a rollercoaster NRL contract saga to bed this week after agreeing to cut his contract with the Cowboys short and join Flanagan's Dragons on a three-year, $2.5 million deal from 2025.

The Maroons star had looked likely to stay in North Queensland and see out the final year of his contract next season, despite being given permission to speak to rival clubs. It's understood Holmes and his wife were comfortable living in Townsville and not overly keen at first on the idea of uprooting their lives and moving south to live in Sydney.

However, the contract saga took a shock turn on Wednesday when it emerged that Holmes had agreed to move to the Dragons next season and reunite with his former coach Flanagan - whom he won a premiership with at the Sharks in 2016. Speaking about the rollercoaster turn of events over the last week, Holmes told The Sydney Morning Herald that despite not enjoying his best year in 2024, he still expected to remain in North Queensland next season.

However, Holmes says he understands the salary cap pressures that the Cowboys find themselves in and the club's priority in securing the futures of some of their best young talent. “Obviously I thought I was in a position to try to stay. I probably haven’t had my best year this year, but I didn’t think I could be up and leaving with a year left on my contract," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. “There’s obviously more to it: the salary cap problem, with my contract back-ended. They’ve got a lot of young players coming through that they don’t want to lose."

Valentine Holmes in subtle dig at Cowboys over club switch

Holmes says he didn't want to stand in the way of any young players furthering their careers in North Queensland or making their debuts for the Cowboys. And he doesn't hold any ill feelings towards the club for the way his move has come about. But the 29-year-old was quick to praise Dragons coach Flanagan for successfully selling the Sydney move to his wife. And he took a subtle dig at the Cowboys by saying he's excited to be leaving for "a club that wants me".

“Obviously it worked (out) in the end," Holmes added. "He (Flanagan) convinced my partner, who was probably the one he needed to convince. As players, you get on with our teammates anywhere you go, but it’s the partners who need to be comfortable and happy to up and leave again. I thought he did a good job.”

The Dragons are set to lose Zac Lomax at the end of this season and Holmes is a quality replacement for the NSW Origin star as a goal-kicking outside back. The Holmes signing is the second major addition to Flanagan's Dragons side for 2025, with former representative hooker Damien Cook also agreeing a move from South Sydney earlier this year.

Todd Payten calls Val Holmes move a 'business decision'

Cowboys coach Todd Payten described Holmes' impending exit after five years at the club as "bittersweet" but said the move would help free up significant salary cap space. With his $1 million-plus contract no longer weighing down North Queensland's books in 2025, Payten has more headroom to tie down some of the club's rising stars, as well as upgrading contracts for the likes of Origin stars Reuben Cotter and Reece Robson, as well as extending Griffin Neame.

RELATED:

• Gutho cops backlash over Tedesco kick amid uproar over $828m farce

• Tom Trbojevic in emphatic statement amid brutal Shaun Johnson scenes

• NRL takes action over 'white powder' photo of NRL star Latrell Mitchell

"It's bittersweet but in the end it was a business decision," Payten said. "He was looking to get a long-term deal done and we weren't in a position to extend him out for what they were looking for... "What it also allows us to do is to upgrade and extend Reubs (Cotter), get Griff's (Griffin Neame) contract done, Robbo's (Reece Robson) the next piece of the puzzle. We've got a couple of veterans we're looking at for next year too in Macca (Jordan McLean) and Feldty (Kyle Feldt). So there's a whole gamut of reasons as part of the decision."

with AAP