By Wayne Heming

Valentine Holmes could join maroon greats Mal Meninga and Johnathan Thurston in Origin’s Centurion Club if he scores 14 or more points in the upcoming three-game interstate series.

Only two of the 227 players who have pulled on Queensland jumper since Arthur Beetson, FOG#1 in 1980, have scored 100 or more Origin career points.

Holmes, FOG# 188, currently sits on 86 Origin points from 11 tries and 21 goals from his 13 games for Queensland.

Had he not left the NRL to chase his dream of playing NFL by trying out with the New York Jets in 2019, he may already be in the exclusive and elite club which only has three members — the other being NSW’s dual international Michael O’Connor, who scored 129 points from 19 games for the Blues.

Thurston is Origin’s all-time leading performer with 220 points from his 37 games but Holmes, with a 6.6 per game points average, is slightly better than JT’s 5.9ppg.

“Val has been a terrific player for Queensland, a match-winner at times and he is pretty close to that magical 100 number,” said long-serving Queensland chairman of selectors and FOGS executive director, Gene Miles.

“I hope he brings up the 100 points in game one in Adelaide.”

Holmes made his Origin debut in game two of the 2017 series.

He scored the first of his 11 tries for Queensland in that match.

He was retained for the series decider at Lang Park that year where he was the hero scoring three tries to help the Maroons clinch the series 22-6.

On his return from his NFL sojourn during which time he missed the 2019 Origin series, Holmes signed a six-year deal with North Queensland and forced his way back into the Queensland team the next year, again proving a key player, scoring a crucial try in the maroon’s 20-14 win to take out the series.

Last year he helped Queensland win back the Origin trophy in yet another series’ decider in Brisbane 22-12 in a game that many rated one of the best Origin contests of all time.

Holmes currently sits equal fifth on Origin’s all-time try-scoring list with current teammate Dane Gagai on 11 behind retired centre Greg Inglis with 18.

Two more tries could take him or even Gagai into third place behind Inglis and Darius Boyd (17 tries).

Meanwhile, Queensland selectors and coach Billy Slater have two more games to settle on their game one squad with one or two key positions still to be sorted without any injuries or suspensions before the May 31 kick-off.

The Queensland team will be named on May 22 after the completion of round 12.