Maloney remains a menace to Maroons
DO NSW have a new Paul Gallen for Queenslanders to loathe?
Not quite. But James Maloney ( left) i is edging incredibly close.
The sly NSW five- eighth was witho out a doubt one of the Blues’ most d dangerous at ANZ Stadium last night.
Maloney set up two tries, was a workhorse in defence and constantly looked as if he was ready to find more p points for the Blues.
He very nearly broke Queensland hearts.
But along the way he also sledged and niggled and did everything he could to upset the Maroons.
And it became clear very quickly just exactly who his main target was for the evening – returned Queensland fullback Billy Slater.
Just nine minutes into the match, Maloney was penalised for a late tackle on Slater, which lead to the opening try of the match to Maroons winger Valen- tine Holmes. And from that moment on he continued to come for the Queensland No. 1, with big hits and mouthy exchanges that everyone would have loved to hear.
Slater ended up with the last laugh however, as he played a hand in Queensland’s winning try.
This is something Maloney should remember as he heads into the game three decider. Maloney was penalised twice, proving that trying too hard to be the villain can certainly backfire.