Moylan and Maloney swap to impact market
CRONULLA and Kangaroos half James Maloney and unsettled Penrith skipper Matt Moylan are on the verge of a shock $6 million player swap for next season.
The moves will have a massive impact on the player transfer market with Gold Coast Titans star Jarryd Hayne seeking a return to Parramatta, Mitchell Pearce ready to quit the Sydney Roosters following Cooper Cronk’s signing and Manly five-eighth Blake Green still looking to take up a threeyear deal with the New Zealand Warriors.
There are still several contract and salary cap issues to be resolved before the Moylan and Maloney deals can be finalised but insiders hope an announcement can be made as early as Monday. Moylan could link with the Sharks on a four-year, $3.6 million deal, while Maloney would make Penrith his sixth NRL club in a three-year, $2.5 million move.
Maloney, 31, will tonight play halfback for Australia in their World Cup match against France at Canberra Stadium.
But he looks like making the foot of the Blue Mountains home once the tournament ends as Penrith look to secure something in return for the loss of local junior Moylan.
The 26-year-old, who is contracted until the end of 2020, has been unhappy at the Panthers for the past six months after struggling to get along with coach Anthony Griffin.
Penrith officials have denied a rift exists between player and coach but Moylan was stood down from the Panthers’ finals campaign to deal with personal issues amid talk he was unhappy.
It’s believed he wants to play in the halves at Cronulla. Penrith were believed to be asking for a transfer fee of about $250,000 for Moylan but they could now waive that if they were to sign Maloney.