James Maloney finished his time in Australia with a State of Origin series win but not many fans might know he started his career with a world record.
Long before Maloney had won Origin series with the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues, or premierships with the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, he was a talented half trying to crack into first grade at the Parramatta Eels.
He played for Wentworthville in the NSW Cup in 2007 and a year later was captaining the Magpies to an epic 12-8 Grand Final victory over the Newtown Jets.
Photo courtesy of the Daily Telegraph
The match went down in the world record books after the players slugged it out for 104 minutes with 13 missed field goals in an attempt to break the deadlock. It equalled the record for the longest Rugby League match at the time, set in the 1997 tri-series final between Queensland and NSW.
He was later named in the NSW Cup Team of the Year but left the Eels after failing to break into the top squad to join Melbourne. He made his debut for the Storm in Round 5, 2009 but moved to the Warriors at the end of the season to take up an offer to be their starting five-eighth.
Maloney led the Warriors to a Grand Final berth in 2011 but they went down 24-10 to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
He moved to the Sydney Roosters in 2013 and made his State of Origin in Game One of the 2013 series where he kicked three goals in their 14-6 victory at ANZ Stadium.
The 33-year-old went on to become an experienced player in the Origin arena, totalling 14 games from 2013-2019, winning seven and losing seven while helping the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues to back-to-back series victories in 2018 and 2019.
Success followed him to the Roosters, where he won a premiership in 2013 after beating Manly 26-18. Three years later he guided the Sharks to an historic, first-ever premiership title with a 14-12 victory over the Storm after being crowned the Dally M five-eighth of the year.
Maloney signed with the Panthers in 2018 and finished his NRL career with 247 games and three test matches for the Kangaroos under his belt.
Last year, he announced he was heading to France to join the Catalans Dragons on a three-year deal in the Betfred Super League starting in season 2020.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
