‘I’m not perfect’: Val Holmes opens up on shocker against Latrell Mitchell

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateModified":"2026-04-28T01:17:05Z","datePublished":"2026-04-27T01:45:01Z","description":"Valentine Holmes has given an appraisal of his recent form, including copping a bath from Rabbitohs counterpart Latrell Mitchell.","headline":"‘I’m not perfect’: Val Holmes opens up on shocker against Latrell Mitchell","keywords":"NRL 2026, St George Illawarra Dragons, Melbourne Storm, Just in, Latrell Mitchell, Valentine Holmes","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Adrian Proszenko","jobTitle":"Chief Rugby League Reporter","url":"/by/adrian-proszenko-hveqs"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Christian Nicolussi","jobTitle":"Sports reporter","url":"/by/christian-nicolussi-h0yp7o"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-around-the-clubs-round-nine-20260426-p5zr6a.html","@type":"WebPage"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"1322.6666666666665","url":"https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.3332284455632473%2C$multiply_0.7025%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_21/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/419942ac2a564a5b4fdd7d192beafd84c4c958ee","width":"744"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":[{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".paywall"}],"publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","name":"The Sydney Morning Herald","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"628","url":"https://www.smh.com.au/metro-assets/assets/static/smh.png","width":"1200"},"url":"https://www.smh.com.au"},"isPartOf":{"@type":["CreativeWork","Product"],"name":"The Sydney Morning Herald","productID":"smh.com.au:webonly"}}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/sport","name":"Sport"},"position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl","name":"NRL"},"position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/topic/nrl-2026-6i10","name":"NRL 2026"},"position":3}]}AdvertisementSportNRLNRL 2026‘I’m not perfect’: Val Holmes opens up on shocker against Latrell MitchellAdrian Proszenko and Christian NicolussiUpdated April 28, 2026 — 11:17am,first published April 27, 2026 — 11:45amSaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.ShareAAASt George Illawarra centre Valentine Holmes admits there are “no excuses” for the shocker he submitted against Latrell Mitchell and that he needs to repay the faith in coach Dean Young for not getting dropped.Holmes is the Dragons’ highest-paid player, but hasn’t played up to his pay cheque during a 12-game Dragons losing streak that extends to last year. The nadir was being on the wrong side of a clinic a fortnight ago from opposing South Sydney three-quarter Mitchell, who scored four tries against him.Valentine Holmes.Getty ImagesIn his first game in charge, interim coach Young opted not to axe Holmes for the encounter against the Roosters. While the Maroons and Kangaroos representative’s personal performance was slightly better than the previous week, it mattered little after the tri-colours put on a record Anzac Day score of 62-16 at Allianz Stadium.The form of senior players Clint Gutherson, Damien Cook and Holmes has been under the spotlight in a barren run that ultimately cost coach Shane Flanagan his job. Flanagan’s last game in charge was the loss to the Rabbitohs, the worst performance of Holmes’ career.Advertisement“There’s no excuses for the way I…

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