Holmes keen to silence critics
VALENTINE Holmes has hit back at his critics after the Origin try-scoring ace was named to make his Queensland return as Maroons coach Wayne Bennett axed Cowboys gun Coen Hess.
Holmes is set to play his first Origin game in 854 days at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Wednesday as Queensland look to wrap up the series.
The Cowboys flyer was on Friday named to make his first Origin appearance at fullback to replace the injured AJ Brimson (foot).
In-form prop Christian Welch has been ruled out after suffering concussion in Queensland’s Game One win at Adelaide Oval while Hess has been dropped following an average Game One effort.
Raiders prop Dunamis Lui and rising Titans star Moeaki Fotuaika have been named in Queensland’s 21-man squad to make their Origin debuts while Jaydn Su’A will be promoted from the bench to replace Hess.
“Christian got a head knock, so we are resting him as a precaution,” Bennett said.
“Dunamis Lui is an experienced NRL player. He’s played in a grand final at Canberra (2019) so I just want him to have a simple role, run hard and tackle hard and play the way he does at the Raiders.
“Mo is a huge talent, I like what he can bring for us off the bench.
“I thought Coen was OK but it was a tough decision initially to leave Su’A out and I thought he was very good for us when he came off the bench the other night.
“Losing AJ isn’t ideal but Valentine has done the job at this level before, his experience was a factor.”
The return of Holmes to the Origin arena for the first time since July 11, 2018, will be a huge boost for the Maroons against the desperate Blues.
Holmes, 25, is one of Origin’s most prolific tryscorers, crossing eight times in only five matches on the wing.
While he returned from a one-year stint in the NFL to play fullback for North Queensland this year, Holmes has copped criticism that his best position is out wide.
Holmes said he wasn’t fazed by his detractors and explained why he wanted to wear Queensland’s No.1 jersey.
“I don’t really care what other people think,” he said.
“To get the best out of me, I need to be touching the ball more through the middle third and getting off some good ruck speed and offloads. You’re limited on the wing.”