Valentine Holmes

Valentine Holmes (born 24 July 1995) is an Australian professional rugby league player who plays across the backline as or er for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.

He played his junior rugby league in Townsville for the Western Lions, before being signed by National Rugby League club, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, in 2012 at the age of 17.

Holmes moved to Sydney in 2013 to play for the Cronulla-Sutherland SG Ball Cup team.

Later that year, he made his debut for the Sharks NYC team, scoring 17 tries in 10 games and played representative rugby league for the Queensland Under 18s team.

In September 2013, Holmes, whose father is from New Zealand, was named in the 2013 Junior Kiwis train-on squad.

In December 2013, Holmes was named in the 2014 Queensland Academy of Sport Under 20s Emerging Origin squad.

Holmes played 33 games, scored 24 tries and kicked 53 goals for 202 points in his U20s career from 2013 to 2015.

In February, Holmes was selected in the Cronulla Auckland Nines squad.

He played for the Queensland Under 20s team at in the 30–8 loss to the Under 20s New South Wales team at Penrith Stadium.

In Round 21, Holmes made his NRL debut for Cronulla-Sutherland against the Parramatta Eels on the in the 32–12 loss at Remondis Stadium filling in for Sosaia Feki who succumbed to an injury before the match.

Holmes was named at wing in the 2014 NYC Team of the Year.

On 8 September, Holmes was named in the 2014 Junior Kangaroos train-on squad.

A day later he was named in the New Zealand Kiwis train-on squad for the 2014 Four Nations.

On 12 September, he pledged his allegiance to Australia.

On 18 October, Holmes played on the wing for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis at Mt Smart Stadium, scoring two tries in the 14–15 loss.

On 6 August, he extended his contract with the Cronulla club from the end of 2015, to the end of 2017.

In Round 23 against the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park, Holmes scored his first NRL try in the 6–48 loss.

Holmes finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 6 matches and scoring 3 tries.

Holmes played for Cronulla-Sutherland in the 2015 NRL Auckland Nines.

On 2 May, he again played on the wing for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis, scoring a try and kicking 1 goal in the 22-20 win.

In Round 10 against the Gold Coast Titans, he kicked a field goal to win the match for Cronulla in their 23-22 golden-point extra-time victory at Cbus Super Stadium.

In Round 19 against the Canberra Raiders, he repeated his efforts, kicking another field goal in extra-time to win the match 21-20.

He finished off the season as Cronulla's highest try-scorer with 16 tries, as well as kicking 11 goals and 3 field goals in 25 matches.

Holmes was selected in the QAS Emerging Maroons squad, but on 31 January, while in the Emerging Maroons camp, he broke curfew and was fined for public nuisance and obstructing Queensland Police.

The QRL announced he would be excluded from its representative programs for the next 12 months.

He began his career with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL, with whom he won the 2016 NRL Premiership.

At representative level, he has played for Queensland in the State of Origin series.

He was then stood down from the Sharks' 2016 NRL Auckland Nines squad after previously being named.

In Round 10 against the Newcastle Knights, he scored 4 tries in Cronulla-Sutherland's 62-0 win.

Holmes was part of the squad which won the 2016 NRL Grand Final, 14-12 against the Melbourne Storm.

Holmes finished the season playing 23 games and scoring 19 tries, once again Cronulla's highest try scorer.

Holmes was later selected for the Australian test side to face New Zealand on 15 November.

Holmes scored a try on debut for the Australians in his side's 26-6 win.

Holmes was selected to play for Australia in the 2017 ANZAC Test.

Later that season, he was selected to make his State of Origin debut for Queensland in Game II, scoring a try.

He was then selected in Game III, where he scored three tries.

After being named in Australia's 2017 Rugby League World Cup squad, Holmes set a Test and World Cup record by scoring five tries in the quarter-final against Samoa in Darwin.

In 2019, spent several months on the practice squad for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) as a part of the league's International Player Pathway Program.

Holmes was born in Townsville, Queensland to a Cook Islands mother and a New Zealand Māori father.

He has three older brothers and an older sister.