James Maloney, during what turned out to be an extended holiday, has already been told he'll regret his decision to swap Bondi Junction for the Shire.
"I caught up with Boyd Cordner in Bali and he reckons he's going to terrorise me," Cronulla's newest recruit said of the pending clash with his former club. "It will be good, no doubt it will be a bit of fun and some guys will try to get me, get a bit of bragging rights."
Maloney was one of several league stars, including new teammate Wade Graham and former Roosters club mates Cordner and Todd Carney, who travelled to Bali during their off-season. What was intended to be a 10-day break for Maloney stretched into 16 due to the volcanic ash clouds that played havoc with airport departures.
"We got back on Sunday morning," Maloney said. "I'm not due back until next Monday anyway, so I wasn't missing any training. It was terrific, I got an extra week over there, so I can't complain. There are worse places to get stuck."
Maloney has joined Cronulla in one of the big transfers of the pre-season. Having won a premiership during a three-year stint at the Roosters, the 29-year-old is making a fresh start with the Sharks. The former NSW pivot will report officially report for duty at his new club next week once he returns from a wedding in Fiji.
"It will be exciting to meet the boys, looking forward to it," he said.
"I picked Cronulla for a reason, they have a strong roster and I think they can do some good things. Time will tell. Hopefully I can go down there and add something to the side."
The Sharks appear a team on the rise, making the finals this year after their wooden spoon finish in 2014. Maloney is one of several new faces along with Warriors half Chad Townsend, Manly forward Jesse Sene-Lefao and Parramatta playmaker Junior Paulo.
"There are no guarantees next year on what you did this year, but hopefully there are signs we're going in the right direction," he said.
"A lot can change in 12 months, everyone was saying the same thing about Penrith last year and they went backwards."
Warriors-bound halfback Jeff Robson and Jack Bird were the halves for most of the year, although Maloney admits he isn't sure who will be his play-making partner for 2016.
"Not a clue at the moment, we haven't gone into it much at all," Maloney said.
"The only quick meeting I had with Flanno was after the week we got knocked out and it was more about sorting out when I would come back. There's a lot of time to work out that sort of stuff."
The former Storm, Warriors and Roosters pivot played all three Origin games for the Blues in 2013 but has been unable to force his way back into the side. However, he said his main focus would be making the Sharks genuine premiership contenders.
"Who knows? It's not something I'll set about," he said of an Origin return.
"I'm just happy to get to the Sharks, hopefully we'll have a good season. If something was to happen, then it happens, but it's not something I'm focusing on."
