Valentine Holmes

The Cowboys wasted no time snapping up the former Cronulla flyer, inking a deal until the end of the 2025 season barely 24 hours after Holmes was officially released by NFL franchise the New York Jets.

Townsville-born Holmes, 24, is tipped to don the No.1 jersey for North Queensland after signing the lucrative long term deal, reportedly worth almost $1 million a season.

While known for his prowess on the wing, Holmes played the majority of games in his last NRL season in 2018 at fullback for the Sharks, scoring 22 tries in 26 games with a league leading 26 line-breaks.

The former Cronulla Sharks star suffered a setback in his bid to cut it in American football after failing to land a berth in the New York Jets' roster for the current season.

But he is now ready to head home and sign a lucrative deal with the Cowboys, worth around $1 million a season, with "only an eleventh-hour change of heart" likely to block his return to Australia, according to News Corp Australia.

The deal could put the block on the Cowboys signing Sydney Roosters' star Latrell Mitchell, who has been heavily linked with a move north to Townsville in recent days.

Cronulla Sharks coach Shane Flanagan has confirmed there will be no positional switch in the Telstra Premiership for his talented speedster. 

“The speculation about Val comes because of how good he plays on the wing, not how poorly he plays at fullback,” Flanagan told NRL.com.

Holmes's stunning return came on the back of his five-try performance against Samoa last week, as the Kangaroos ran away with a 10-tries-to-one victory.

The Fijians started with intensity in the early exchanges and opened the scoring with a penalty goal in the second minute. 

Jarryd Hayne was in the thick of it early with a big hit on Billy Slater but his team conceded too many penalties to stay in the contest.

There's no doubting the Kangaroos look a far more formidable football team with Billy Slater in the No.1 jersey. 

They tinkered with the formation of their side last week and handed Holmes the responsibility of playing fullback against Lebanon.

The Maroons' newest debutant will replace Oates on the wing in Game Two, with the 22-year-old Brisbane Bronco axed from the side after playing four-straight games for Queensland

Oates was one of Queensland's best in their 28-4 loss to the New South Wales Blues in Game One, running for 158 metres and scoring a try. 

The 21-year-old Townsville product has been touted as a future fullback during a three-year apprenticeship on the Cronulla wing behind first Michael Gordon then Ben Barba, but is now in the mix with Kiwi international Gerard Beale and fellow young-gun Jack Bird for the fulltime No.1 jersey moving forward.

Holmes was tipped to be the man to replace Ben Barba following the premiership-winner's defection to French rugby, but a hamstring injury picked up in the trials has scuttled those plans for the time being. 

Despite working out in front of NFL scouts in December, Holmes a fortnight ago re-signed with Cronulla on a two-year deal, keeping him in the NRL until the end of 2019.

Holmes was fined for public nuisance and obstructing police in Brisbane on a night when he also broke curfew during a Maroons Emerging Origin Squad camp. 

The Sharks winger was one of eight players banned by Queensland Rugby League and as a result, Holmes was also excluded from playing at the Auckland Nines.

Eight months later and after winning an NRL Telstra Premiership win with the Sharks, Holmes will likely make his representative debut for Australia at the upcoming Four Nations after being picked in coach Mal Meninga's 24-man squad.