NRL news: Valentine Holmes linked with surprise move to Dragons as Shane Flanagan plans bold squad restructure

Kangaroos and Maroons in the spotlight Valentine Holmes has been granted permission by the Cowboys to test the open market and the Dragons will put the star at the top of their wish list. Holmes is about to enter his final year NRL The contract is worth around $1 million per season and North Queensland are reportedly willing to let him go at the end of the year, 12 months before his contract expires.

The Cowboys’ salary cap is at its limit with Holmes, Tom Dearden, Jason Taumalolo, Jeremiah Nanai, Scott Drinkwater and Jeremiah Nanai all on mega deals. While players such as NSW hooker Reece Robson and Queensland star and co-captain Reuben Cotter The final 12 months of their contracts begin on November 1st and both would likely demand a decent pay rise on their next deal to keep them at the club.

Holmes' early departure could therefore theoretically create the space needed for the club to sign these core team members. In recent weeks, young Jaxon Purdue has emerged as a rising star in the middle of the team, and that may have convinced the Cowboys to let Holmes leave the club after a disappointing 2024 season so far.

Holmes' agent Chris Orr said The Daily Telegraph The North Queensland star has been told he can test the open market, although there is an interest in keeping him at the club. “Val is a Queensland Origin star and his contract expires on November 1,” Orr said. “So we want to sit down with the Cowboys early and extend his contract.”

“The early approval allows us to get to the negotiating table early. The Cowboys have indicated that they want Val to stay.”

A possible destination for Holmes would be the Red V, whose top priority is to sign a star player. And with Zac Lomax on his way to Parramatta At the end of the season, the Maroons star could be the perfect replacement.

The dragons are also hunting for Eels youngster Blaize Talagi and are interested in expanding their attack group. Trainer Shane Flanagan has enjoyed a successful first year as Red V coach and has made no secret of his desire to transform the squad, having already secured South Sydney hooker Damien Cook for next season and is in talks with Newcastle striker Daniel Saifiti.

Holmes and Talagi would add much-needed firepower to the Dragons' defence, with the former offering the flexibility to play in the centre, on the wing or as a full-back. He would also be a great addition as a goalscorer, with Lomax leaving a gaping hole in that department as well.

The Dragons, unlike the Cowboys, have plenty of room in their salary cap and could easily offer Holmes a multi-year deal, something North Queensland may not be able to do. Holmes also has a close relationship with Flanagan, as the Dragons coach not only gave Holmes his NRL debut at Cronulla in 2014, but the pair were involved in the Sharks' 2016 championship win. Holmes stayed at Cronulla until trying his hand at the NFL in 2019, before returning to rugby league north of the border in 2020 on a mega six-year deal that expires at the end of next season.

Shane Flanagan's brutal admission after the Panthers' defeat

Following the Dragons' 46-10 loss to Penrith on Saturday, Flanagan admitted St George Illawarra's performance did not mean they deserved to be in the final. In front of their first sell-out crowd in Wollongong for 17 years, the Dragons produced arguably their worst performance of 2024 against the three-time defending champions.

The Dragons were out of the game from the first period and were repeatedly put under pressure by Nathan Cleary, who shone with three tries and two assists. The Red V are not the first team to be dismantled by Cleary this year and they probably won't be the last, but their finals hopes are now in serious jeopardy.

The Dragons could have made the top eight with a win, but with six weeks to go they are out of the finals. And they have a tough two weeks ahead of them: they play Melbourne in Melbourne next Saturday night before facing in-form Canterbury the following week. “It's a race for the semi-finals. We don't deserve to be there if we don't pull ourselves together and play better than we did today,” Flanagan said.

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“Under the circumstances it was probably our worst performance of the year. Really disappointing. It was a great, beautiful day playing against the Premiers. We got off to a really bad start. Everything they did well, we didn't do.”

with AAP