North Queensland centre Valentine Holmes will test the market with a year left on his contract, but that news is not upsetting the Cowboys players as they continue their march towards the finals.
Holmes is contracted with the Cowboys until the end of 2025 but his management has been granted permission to look at other options with St George Illawarra one of the early front-runners to make a play for his services.
The Cowboys, in sixth position on 26 points and with a bye still to come, need just two more wins to play finals and start favourites against last-placed Wests Tigers on Thursday night at Leichhardt Oval.
Hooker Reece Robson said the Holmes issue was not a distraction.
“He is a great mate of mine and I love playing alongside him here,” Robson said.
“(Holmes’s future) is a deal for himself, his managers and the club to sort out. For us, he is just doing his job like he does every week as are we. The other (contract stuff) will take care of itself.”
Half Chad Townsend, who will join Sydney Roosters next year, said 2016 premiership winner Holmes was always going to be sought after as a Test and Origin star.
“He is a world-class player who has done it all,” Townsend said.
“(Testing the market) doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be here next year because he still has a contract for next season. I am sure it will all get sorted, but this sort of news is always heightened with a class player like Val.”
The Cowboys are only too aware how dangerous the Tigers can be at Leichhardt. Last year they copped a 66-18 thrashing at the venue.
“They have got spark across the field,” Townsend said.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
“Api Koroisau has done a tremendous job this year, Lachlan Galvin has done really well in his first year in the NRL and they have other young kids who are dangerous.
“We really respect the Tigers and are heading down there with the mindset that they will challenge us at Leichhardt.
“I still don’t think we have reached our potential. We have come close and are probably heading in the right direction.”
The Cowboys will be without key forwards Jason Taumalolo and Reuben Cotter who were both concussed in last week’s loss to the Sharks.
Taumalolo also fractured his cheek bone and further consultations with a surgeon will determine how many games he will miss.
Second-rower Heilum Luki will return from hamstring tightness that kept him out last week.
Titans flyer wants footrace with speedsters
Gold Coast winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira is keen to test his speed in a foot race with the NRL’s fastest men and is also on the cusp of winning the race to equal a 62-year-old premiership record.
The 22-year-old has 39 tries in 38 games and needs just one more in his next two NRL matches to become the first top-grade player to score 40 tries in his first 40 outings.
Former St George speed demon Johnny King achieved the feat in 1962.
Khan-Pereira crossed for a double in the 21-14 win over the Dolphins on Sunday where he blitzed down the left touch line to score tries from close range few others could have managed.
“It”s my speed,” he said.
“If I get that opportunity five metres or even two metres out, I can create that space for myself and execute those tries for myself.”
In the past Canterbury winger Josh Addo-Carr has floated having a foot race between the NRL’s fastest players on grand final day, as is done by the AFL.
Addo-Carr, Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen, Dolphins sizzler Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Manly speed machine Jason Saab would all be among those to give Khan-Pereira a run for his money.
He would like to test himself against the best but stopped short of saying he is the quickest.
“I like to keep humble about that. I’m not sure (who is quickest),” he said.
“I’d love to have a race with some of the fastest boys who are up there if the NRL set one up … like Saab and Hammer (Tabuai-Fidow).”
Khan-Pereira gets his chance to notch a 40th try in the home derby clash with Brisbane on Saturday.
Both teams are on 20 points and mathematical chances of playing finals.
“One hundred per cent we can, we had our (three-game) winning streak a few weeks ago,” he said.
“Last week against Manly we didn’t perform our best and coming into the Dolphins we wanted to show that we can still be a top eight team. I definitely have that confidence.
“I’m so keen for (the Broncos clash). It’s a Queensland derby you know. Those are the boys down the street that you want to verse. It’s almost like backyard footy with those boys.”
An easy put down for Alofiana Khan-Pereira with the Bunker clearing any obstruction in the lead-up!
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The Titans won’t want to rely on coach Des Hasler giving them a halftime bake like he did against the Dolphins when they trailed 14-6. That said, Hasler does know how to get his players to focus when they stray.
“It was a clear message,” Khan-Pereira grinned.
“Des woke us up. We played better footy when Des gave us a spray.
“He was actually just screaming, to be honest. There was more screaming and ripping his hair out.
“I think he just said our execution needed to be better, quick sets. The boys did that and got us the win.”
with AAP
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/9M8lZEW News: Cowboys won’t let Holmes speculation derail finals charge, Titans flyer wants to revive sprint race
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