Coming Holmes: Former Shark quits NFL, signs six-year Cowboys deal

Larry - I've always enjoyed watching Holmes play - and I'm sure his return to the Game will put a few "bums on seats" for the embattled Cowboys. However - I don't think it's right that ANY player should be able to walk away from a legally binding Contract - then return to our Game - yet suffer no penalty at all for breaking said legal Contract. However - on the positive side - the failure of both Hayne & Holmes to make it in the NFL will hopefully send a clear message to all NRL players with dreams of making it in the NFL. Forget it - unless you're prepared to endure at least a couple of Seasons in that Teams Practice Squad. And I reiterate what I said in my article -Holmes has just had his lifelong dream to play NFL "shattered" - and so I'm not expecting him to set the world on fire for the Cowboys next Season - but only time will tell - won't it.

TD, you can run that line as long as you like but from what I've seen of both as a footy follower for 50+ years, Hayne & Holmes are two totally different characters. Hayne made the leap at 30 odd compared to Holmes at 23, Hayne always appeared to play for himself in the NRL (ask NSW about the non-pass in origin) while Holmes never had that cloud over his head, rumour had it that Hayne trained away from the team regularly at the Eels & Titans, no reports of Holmes doing that, Hayne got his coached sacked at the Titans then bailed out, Holmes never had that on his head, Hayne appears to have had a poor influence on Taylor at the Titans & he's never been the same player since, Holmes again has no such reputation. You then use 'supplements' Gallen as a reference on Holmes being selfish, Qld celebrated his selection for years as a 'go himself' player (recall 2 head down ball under the arm runs in a set on the Qld line when trying to pull a game out of the fire). Holmes could have kicked stones like Matterson & got a release but showed he was willing to have a crack at the NFL to his own financial detriment, don't get why you can't celebrate his return to a code where he's always been an excellent role model. Is it a sharks thing, do you prefer the shadier types like Andrew Fifita, Gallen & Flanagan?

You're trying to make a case that he had no intention of seeing the NFL thing through. He purely went there, gave up over $500k, just to get out of a final yr with Cronulla? If he so desperately didn't want to be there the club would've released him. That's how contacts work these days. Latrell, Matterson , Croft and 10 other players are doing it right now. Your club is doing it right now. Why would he go to such extravagant lengths just to get out of 1yr contract?

Just because someone pulls the plug on their risky ambition to succeed in their dream job when offered $6million to go back to their old job that they were really good at, and also really enjoyed, doesn’t mean they weren’t genuine about their dream job.

And yet he pulled the pin before the season was out to sign a lucrative 6 year deal with the Cowboys. Sorry I can't be convinced he was genuine in his NFL ambitions. He would have known going in that he was ineligible to play this season so not sure why he put in all the effort only to quit. I admire his ambitions to play in the NFL but have serious questions over his long term goals. 6 years is a big risk but good luck to the Cowboys

Very, very far. He got further than millions of other guys who aspired to but failed to the play in the NFL over the last few years. He got within touching distance of a roster position on a team competing in arguably the most competitive and selective sporting competition in the world. There are plenty of guys who medaled in the Olympics as a consolation prize for failing to get as far in The NFL as Holmes got. And he sacrificed $350,000 to do it. Why would he throw away $350k if he wasn’t genuine?

How far did he get? Couldn't even stick it out for the first season, and he would have been eligible for a roster spot next season. If he was genuine he would still be there with the aim of making a roster. He is everything but genuine.

What’s ludicrous is you can’t see the real picture. He wanted to go to the Cowboys all along. The Sharks weren’t going to release their best player to a rival club, but were ok if he was going overseas to a new sport. He plays 4 pre season games, with limited minutes and then watched the Jets bumble their way through the season. He decides he wants out, I have no doubt Holmes initiated the release not the Jets. He secures a massive 6 year deal at the Cowboys on huge coin. Remind me again of his terrible sacrifice?

I actually find it quite funny. Keeps me entertained reading all about myself from nobodies online.

I don't get how you come to the conclusion that it looks like he was never committed. If he just wanted out of the Sharks there are plenty of other ways he could have gone about it. He could have followed the examples of every other contract breaking league player and moved to North Queensland in 2019 and earned far more than he would of made as a NFL practice squad member. I highly doubt he would have gone through the hassles of relocating himself and his family overseas if he wasn't committed. Then he would of had to fool all the staff in the international pathways program into believing his commitment and excel enough to get a practice squad contract. He then would again need to fool all the Jets coaching staff into believing he was committed to not be immediately booted from the squad. The timing of his release makes me think you are right in that he would have initiated the release. But I think it would have just been an honest conversation along the lines of "coach do you think im progressing enough to make the team next year?'... "Na, sorry kids".... "Okay may as well leave now and take this 6 million then".

If he was anything less than genuine about wanting to play NFL, he wouldn’t have got anywhere near as far as he did.

You may be right, perhaps the Jets let him know he would struggle to make the 53 next year we don't really know. It just looks like he was never committed and wanted out of the Sharks. He should have stuck it out in the NFL would have been an amazing story

Unless of course they were both quietly told that they should go home. I reckon that happens a lot more than we know about, for their entire roster not just the blow ins. The NFL is a ruthless business to be involved with.

Don't forget the wild accusations about those wild assumptions. The internet is all about wild accusations, it's what keeps me coming back.

From who? Roar commenters who don't submit anything but are happy to nit pick my articles or look at my bio and make wild assumptions? I think I'll be right

Agree. It's hard to crack the NFL if you can't even finish one season. I think teams over there will be wary of players who lack the commitment ie Hayne and Holmes

Yeah Darren, I'm sure the NFL have set up a committee to evaluate whether they should change the way their code lets crosscoders have a crack at a million to one shot. Their code leadership must lie awake every night worrying about it. " We will decide who comes to our country".

Instead of having a crack at a near impossible goal, maybe Val should have thrown a tantrum like Matterson to get out of cronulla. Maybe Adam Bagnall is dirty because he hasn't reached his dream goal as a journalist, had a scroll through past contributions to the roar & see why, guru indeed? If I was Holmes & trying to earn respect in the nrl, Paul Gallen with his record isn't someone I'd aim to impress. Same for Flanagan, major player in the supplements scandal & no respect for the suspension he was handed so just did what he wanted anyway. The sharks aren't high up the integrity totem pole so they don't have much to bleat about. Better check your facts from now on Adam because you're going to be under intense scrutiny.

Geez Adam & fellow critics, did Val kick your dog before he went to the US to have a crack at NFL? He was 23 & made more sense than the underperformer Jarryd "I have a dream" Hayne who went at near 30. Bet there's a few coaches happy right now, Paul Green & Kevvie Walters plus big Mal down the track. Why the bile, he was probably going to the Cowboys regardless of the nfl tryout because his wife & Morgan's wife are sisters, happy wife = happy life. Also, we don't know how all the drama & Flanagan suspension impacted on morale at the sharks, he might have been happy to get out because they've looked disjointed since 2016. Qld will be better with a guy who's proven at scoring key tries, look at his origin record. As for the 6 year contract, it looks ok for a 24 year old compared to the 4 year one Darius got from Bennett at 30. One season out won't hurt him, not like he wasn't training after all, guys get back from knee reconstructions in that timeframe. Your criticism appears to be personally biased, at least he didn't bash anyone or commit some other misdemeanour. Get off your high horse!

Donald, can you name any Sharks player other than Holmes that has played over 100 games winning >60%? Gallen has won <50%, Luke Lewis <58%, Wade Graham <51%, Andrew Fafita < 55%. Holmes averages more tries than Tedesco and Inglis? In the Fullback position Slaters best is 20 tries from 26 appearances in a season. In Holmes first season at fullback he scored 13tries in 18 games and 22tries for the season. Tedesco has been fullback of the year twice when scoring at a similar rate as Holmes did in his only season playing fullback. Did I mention he goal kicks at 73% and has kicked at 84% in 2 out of 4 seasons. Thurston kicked at 79% during his career and only twice got 85% of his kicks in a season?