Retiring league large James Maloney has confirmed his aspirations to manager astatine NRL level aft hanging up the boots pursuing a stellar career.
After a 13-year vocation astatine the apical level, Maloney officially announced his status this week, having played 278 archetypal people matches betwixt 5 antithetic NRL clubs and UK Super League broadside Catalans.
While his playing days are present over, Maloney admitted that helium would similar to stay successful France for the adjacent fewer years, perchance successful a coaching relation with Catalans, earlier helium heads location to prosecute a coaching vocation successful the NRL.
"That's the avenue I deliberation I'll spell down," helium told Nine's Maccas Golden Point erstwhile asked astir is coaching aspirations by Phil Gould.
"When I got to Penrith, it showed maine that it's thing I'm funny in. I had each these young kids looking to [me] for advice, and past you commencement getting a existent buzz watching them debut and get picked successful rep sides.
"I deliberation that's what you tin get retired of coaching and I reckon that'll beryllium a spot of fun."
Despite admitting helium enjoys crippled day, Maloney admitted that the mentation successful the lead-up to matches is thing that helium could not spot doing adjacent season, a cardinal origin successful his retirement.
"I conscionable got to a constituent wherever mentally I wasn't getting thing retired of each the grooming during the week," helium said.
"I inactive bask crippled time and I inactive bask the match, but each the enactment done the week, I conscionable wasn't afloat invested successful it anymore truthful it conscionable wasn't going to beryllium just connected teammates and the nine to spell astir for different year."
Gould, who was the GM of Football astatine Penrith during Maloney's 44-game stint astatine the club, believes the champion halfback has what it takes to beryllium a bully coach.
"I tin [see Maloney arsenic a coach], I anticipation helium does. I anticipation helium gets a James Maloney successful his side," helium said.
"He'll beryllium successful a video league and he'll person a concealed yoghurt and a portion down [beside his seat] and he'll beryllium doing things and not adjacent listening to what's going on, and past the manager volition inquire him a question and he'll get it 100 per cent right, and past he'll thatch america each thing we haven't seen before.
"He's very, precise clever. [He's got] unshakeable content successful his ain ability, unshakeable content successful his teammates.
"The 2 things I liked astir him most: helium was household archetypal - a beauteous devoted hubby and father, but squad archetypal - it was ever astir the squad successful everything helium did.
"He had an unshakeable content successful everyone astir him and successful his ain spot of intent and that truly rubbed disconnected connected a batch of people."
Maloney's erstwhile teammate Paul Gallen, who shared a dressing country with the him successful the Sharks' 2016 premiership-winning side, besides backed his coaching credentials.
"He really truly knows footy though," helium said. "If you beryllium and speech to him astir footy, helium knows the crippled inside-out."
"The happening astir him is, he's excessively astute for everyone else. He knows what's going to hap successful beforehand of everyone else, that's wherefore helium mucks astir astatine grooming truthful much.
"He ne'er listened successful a video session, but helium understands and knows precisely what's going to happen.
"I retrieve seeing the alteration successful quality from mid-season to erstwhile we made the semi-final successful 2016.
"Absolute scallywag each session, didn't privation to bash weights, did nothing. As soon arsenic the semi-finals hit, helium ran each video league and led america close done to the expansive final."
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