Maloney move to Sharks pays off
He has always been an allrounder, excelling in several sports growing up.
But it was in winning the New Zealand under-13 national golf championship – a world away from the league fields of Townsville – that his father first realised he had the mentality to flourish as a professional.
‘‘Basically, he was a 12-year-old and his focus wasn’t golf – he loved his touch and he loved his soccer,’’ Andre recalled.
‘‘Prior to that tournament, he gave himself six weeks to train and practise for it.
‘‘Then he came out and won the championship over boys who eat and live golf.’’
Possessing all the elusiveness of Shaun Johnson or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Kalyn’s footwork comes from his background in football, where Andre initially thought his future lay.
But his parents never pushed him towards one sport – and it’s clearly served him well.
‘‘At the end of the day we’ve just brought him up that as long as the kids are happy in whatever they want to do.
‘‘And that’s why he’s probably fortunate to be where he is now because he’s had opportunities to do other sports where that’s all we’ve encouraged really.’’
Indeed, Kalyn’s international future isn’t the only big decision he has to make in the coming months.
Off contract with North Queensland at the end of the year, his signature is set to be one of the most hotly contested in Australian sport.
Prior to joining the Cowboys, Kalyn was pursued by four NRL clubs, plus Super Rugby’s Queensland Reds and the AFL’s Brisbane Lions, who this week again signalled their interest in the teenage sensation.
It could be be easy to get carried away for someone his age but Kalyn has a strong family support network to keep him grounded.
‘‘You have to be humble. That’s more important than being a good footballer for us.’’ UNWANTED playmaker James Maloney will look to savour the ultimate last laugh at the expense of his former club Sydney Roosters when he shapes up for his third grand final in six years next Sunday.
The NSW pivot has been one of the NRL’s leading players for several years. He played a key role in the Roosters’ 2013 premiership win and three minor premierships from 2013 to 2015.
But he was controversially moved on by Tricolours management at the end of last season, with the club unsuccessfully opting for Jackson Hastings as Mitchell Pearce’s halves partner.
Hastings didn’t feature in the Roosters’ first grade side for the final third of the season as the Tricolours finished only ahead of Newcastle on the premiership ladder.
After he was told he wasn’t wanted at Bondi, Maloney quickly
In league terms here, the Queensland jumper’s just as big as the All Black jumper back home. ANDRE PONGA
identified Cronulla as a club with a roster capable of emulating the success he had at the Roosters.
And as things have turned out, the 30-year-old will help spearhead Cronulla’s quest for their maiden premiership at ANZ Stadium in next Sunday’s decider.
‘‘As soon as I couldn’t stay at the Roosters I wanted to come to Cronulla because I knew what they had here and I thought I could add something and it’s worked out really well so far,’’ Maloney said yesterday, having also played for the Warriors in their 2011 grand final loss to Manly.
‘‘I’ve been able to identify rosters [although] the Warriors one was not really my choice. Basically I didn’t have a whole lot of options. I was there to get regular first grade. I went over there and we had a really successful year.
‘‘Coming back to pick the Roosters and to come here and pick the Sharks, I knew what I was going into – I knew the roster they had, I knew the strengths they had in their side.’’
The Sharks deserve their place in the decider after a year in which they set a club record for most successive wins at 15 and finished third in the regular season. – AAP