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James Maloney says State of Origin victory his final mountain

James Maloney is a winner, plain and simple. He slept with a Panther and now he is a Panther. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

NSW five-eighth James Maloney says an elusive State of Origin series victory on Wednesday night is the only mountain left for him to climb in his rugby league career.

A two-time premiership-winner and incumbent Kangaroo squad member, Maloney has yet to lift the Origin shield in two cracks at the history-making Queensland outfit.

But after helping the Blues to a record win over the Maroons in game one, the 30-year-old now stands on the precipice of ticking the final box on his rugby league bucket list.

“It’s something I definitely want to be able to say I’ve done – win an Origin series and be successful at this level,” Maloney told AAP.

“You don’t just want to say you’ve played at that level. You want to be able to say you’ve competed and played well at that level.

“By winning the series, it gives you a bit of validity behind a statement like that.”

Victory over the Maroons would also aid Maloney in his desire for a pay upgrade and extension at Cronulla, however coach Shane Flanagan all but shut down that possibility earlier this week.

Maloney, who was a key member of the Sharks’ title breakthrough last year, accepted he may have to wait until his current contract expires at the end of next season to land more money.

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“That’s alright, I’ve got a contract for another 12 months. I knew that and we’ll see what happens beyond that,” he said.

Maloney is one of 14 players in the Blues’ line-up that will take the field at ANZ Staduim next week who have yet to taste a series win over Queensland.

Maligned halves partner Mitchell Pearce is another, however Maloney is adamant his former Sydney Roosters teammate now has the confidence to achieve success in the Origin arena.

This year is Pearce’s seventh series in the Blues jumper.

“I think he’s been playing really confident footy all year and I know the performance in game one will only help that next Wednesday night,” Maloney said.

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