No thought about how Cooper Cronk could rain bombs down on him all night. How Marika Koroibete will be sizing up one of his final scalps before riding off into the rugby union sunset. Or Cameron Smith sneaking out of dummy-half and directing body after body down his wing.

Holmes' main concern seemed to be just how he could beat his good mate in their latest craze, the Electronic Arts-inspired Battlefield game they tried to win bragging rights at all Wednesday afternoon.

Nervous about a minor premiership showdown in Melbourne? These Sharks don't seem too bothered the honour of being the NRL's most consistent side – and its $100,000 purse – is just a few days away from being decided. Not this year anyway.

"Last year even just the build-up to the first [final] ... I was just nervous the whole week," Holmes said. "That first game against the Rabbitohs at Allianz was unreal with heaps of people there and it's a lot more nerve racking than just a normal game. It's faster, more physical and everyone just turns up.

"[But] we've played in one [finals series now] – Birdy has played Origin and has stepped up onto a bigger stage and is a lot more confident in himself – and I build confidence from the other players as well. If they're playing well I find confidence from them. I don't get too nervous [now]."

Which is a good thing. Because there's a few more of those games in store for the Sharks. The team whose fortune has flickered from premiership hotpots to also-rans and nearly back again in the space of a month.

"The minor premiership would be a good reward for all the hard work we've put in this year and how far we've come," Holmes said. "It would be a good step into the finals and to get a bit of confidence there knowing you've finished on top of the competition."

But for now Holmes just wants to beat Bird, Andrew Fifita and Ricky Leutele with his thumbs. Battlefield now – the game which inspired their specially-designed jerseys last week – rugby league later.

"We all jump online together and have PS4s," Holmes said. "It gets our mind thinking of something else rather than footy all the time."