James Maloney welcomed to Penrith Panthers by Phil Gould
PHIL Gould gave James Maloney the royal treatment at Penrith today, personally greeting the Origin five-eighth at the front door of the club’s academy.
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JAMES, we’ve been waiting.
A smiling Phil Gould greeted his new $2.5 million man James Maloney at the front of the Panthers Academy on Monday.
And the former Cronulla Shark quickly declared: “I’ve got no doubts there will be some really successful years ahead.’’
Maloney told The Daily Telegraph how he met with Gould almost three months ago when the idea of coming to Penrith in exchange for captain Matt Moylan was first floated.
The 31-year-old dual premiership winner had a year to run on his Sharks deal but was interested in the move and linking up with his former New Zealand Warriors ball boy, 20-year-old halfback Nathan Cleary.
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The swap deal went cold before Maloney said he received a call “out of the blue’’ while in Australian camp preparing for the World Cup game against France.
“When there was talk of the swap, I remember calling ‘Moyza’ to find out what was going on, but he didn’t know much,’’ Maloney said.
“Then I had a meeting with Gus and said, ‘I’m more than happy to come, you’ve got an exciting roster’, and I let him know what it would take to get me here.
“Moyza’s manager came out and told everyone he was staying at the Panthers.
“Then out of the blue I was in Canberra (with the Kangaroos) and I got the call to say, ‘the swap is on’.
“I’m happy with the decision, I’m excited about the opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting started after Christmas.
“They actually remind me lot of Cronulla when I signed. They have a very good forward pack to play behind and some really exciting outside backs coming through.
“There’s a really good mix, and I’ve got no doubts there will some really successful years ahead.’’
Maloney inked his three-year deal with Penrith last week while helping the Kangaroos prepare for their World Cup final against England.
He caught up with Gould and some of the players as he braved the unseasonal chilly December day dressed in just cargo shorts, shirt and thongs.
During the early stages of the negotiations, Gould pulled a few of the younger players aside, including Cleary and fullback Dylan Edwards, to tell them Maloney was bound for Penrith, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Penrith is Maloney’s fifth NRL club, but he was adamant he left the Sharks on his terms.
“Obviously Cronulla released me early because they weren’t sure what I was doing beyond next season, and there was the appeal of Moyza because he was a lot younger,’’ Maloney said.
“But I don’t feel like I left Cronulla on bad terms.
“I left the Warriors who were keen as to keep me, and the Roosters didn’t want to let me go, and they came out and said they regretted it.
“There’s no truth to that because I haven’t been pushed out anywhere.’’
Cleary was a ball boy at the Warriors during Maloney’s stint there, which included a 2011 grand final clash with Manly.
He has a huge opinion of Cleary the footballer, but didn’t want to add to the hype about potentially forming the NSW Origin halves partnership with his new Penrith teammate.
Maloney has backed incumbent Mitchell Pearce to fire again now he had moved to Newcastle and, with the change of scenery, “might come out and do unbelievable things’’.
Maloney will start training next month, and is the third representative Blues player in the past four days to switch clubs after Pearce and Jarryd Hayne’s Parramatta homecoming.