Star Cowboy Valentine Holmes has provided insight on his transition from the fullback and wing spot into the centre position and spoke on the influence of a Maroons teammate.
Coming off North Queensland's third win of the season last week against the Newcastle Knights, Holmes said he relished getting one over good mate Dane Gagai.
The two Maroons teammates secured over 200 run metres for their respective clubs at the weekend and illustrated why they are locks for the Queensland line-up for Game 1.
Holmes would go on to secure the victory with a match-winning try assist. Not to be outdone by his Maroons centre counterpart Gagai, who made 12 tackle busts off 23 runs and had a tackle efficiency of 100%.
Playing mainly at fullback or on the wing, Holmes fully transitioned into the centres for the Cowboys last season. This came after Kyle Feldt and Murray Taulagi cemented their spots on the wing while Scott Drinkwater took control of the No.1 jersey.
"He carries, he gets involved a lot for his team, and he's infectious when he runs getting tackle breaks, offloads and good metres," Holmes told AAP, speaking on Gagai.
"That's something I've wanted to be good at and the best centre out there - not only competing with teammate Peta (Hiku), but the best player out on the field.
"To be able to play against him and play alongside him for Queensland is pretty special."
