Monsieur Maloney sets sights on fairytale finish to glittering career

James Maloney started the week celebrating Penrith’s win on the other side of the world, and even FaceTimed former teammate Nathan Cleary after full-time.

Now Maloney gets the chance to finish the week with premiership glory of his own as Catalans chase their first-ever Super League title against St Helens on Sunday.

Winner winner ... James Maloney finishes his career this weekend with Catalans in the Super League final.Credit:Getty

The larrikin playmaker, who helped the New Zealand Warriors into the 2011 NRL grand final, then won competitions with the Roosters in 2013 and Cronulla in 2016 â€" not to mention NSW Origin and Test victories â€" would love nothing more than to bow out of rugby league with another ring.

Natural-born winner Maloney announced a couple of months ago he would retire at the end of this season, and knows what a Catalans victory would do for the game in the south of France.

The 35-year-old is still laughed at by the locals when he tries to speak French, and happily gets paid via cheque from the club’s loyal and passionate owner Bernard Guasch every month.

Just as history was made when the Sharks won their first and only title, Maloney would love to feature in another first with Catalans.

“Premierships are special every time you win them, and now I’m a bit older I probably get more excited for the younger boys, the French lads, and the owner [Gausch] who has put so much into it,” Maloney told the Herald.

Maloney will line up against St Helens at Old Trafford.Credit:Getty Images Europe

“You love winning premierships, but you only experience a club’s first premiership once. It was special with Cronulla. It will be special here. It would be a nice way for me to finish.”

Maloney will enjoy a couple of months rest before playing in the local French competition with FC Lezignan. He plans to eventually return home to Australia and enter the coaching caper.

Cameron Smith remains the best player Maloney played alongside, French youngster Arthur Mourgue is one player NRL clubs should keep an eye on, he said, while there were no regrets about a magnificent career which started in 2009. He had to decide between the Roosters and South Sydney when he left the Warriors at the end of 2012, only to opt for the former because “a pre-season under ‘Madge’ [then Souths coach Michael Maguire] would have been torture”.

“Now I’m not cut out for any pre-seasons â€" even the easy ones,” Maloney quipped.

Maloney had a huge influence on Nathan Cleary at the Panthers.Credit:Getty Images

Catalans coach Steve McNamara was an assistant at the Roosters when the idea of uniting with Maloney on the other side of the world was first floated.

And McNamara knew within weeks of Maloney arriving in France the club was destined for success. While he knows how to get the job done on the field, it was Maloney’s ability to bring players together away off the field â€" and educate the generation next â€" McNamara will forever appreciate.

McNamara’s favourite memory was seeing Maloney make a point of sitting with the club’s young fringe players after a trial game against Toulouse in the town of Carcassonne, when “everyone there wanted a piece of Jimmy”.

“The biggest compliment I can give Jimmy is he’s played well himself, but also makes the others around him better players â€" he’s leaving our club having made an impact on the field but also having an influence on a lot of players here for many years to come.

“He defies logic in some ways because he misses more tackles and gives more penalties away than anyone else. He did in the NRL and he’s done it over here. You wouldn’t normally pick a player if you looked at his stats.

“But he plays the long game â€" he understands the game over the 80 minutes better than any player I’ve had the chance to work with.

“He makes a mistake but just moves on to the next thing. He knows how to get it done. He’s loud and has an opinion on most things, and you often tell him to ‘shut the f... up’ and he will. He’s just a good normal bloke who is a really intelligent rugby league player with a style that suits him.”

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