"Clubs have got an obligation to keep our referees safe," he said.
Mr Malone has been refereeing since 1990 and took it up after receiving a serious shoulder injury while playing - he wanted to retain a strong link to the game he loved so taking up the whistle was the way to keep the boots laced up.
Like many, he does it for the love of the game but that devotion gets dented by the issue of on-field and sideline abuse.
Mr Malone said the association had taken some flak over the decision not to referee MAC games at the suburb's grounds and some saw it as a slight on Flaxmere.
"That is not the case at all," he said, adding that games involving the Flaxmere Rugby Club there were still being refereed - the issue lay with ground control shortfalls within the MAC club.
"They need to address that and we want to be part of the solution with them," Mr Malone said.
"It is all about the safety and welfare of our referees - it is a problem at all levels of domestic rugby and we have to take a stance."
His predecessor in the chairman role, Bruce Dockary, who has officiated 154 premier games since 2001, made no bones about it when stepping down from the post earlier this year.
"Officiating in sport is certainly not getting any easier," he said.
"Unfortunately last year we again saw instances of referee abuse, both verbal and physical, on the increase and this certainly does not assist with recruiting and retaining referees."
Mr Dockary said the consequences of abuse were no longer a deterrent, and likened the present situation to that of the justice service in general - "offenders getting little more than a slap on the wrist".
He said in past years there were life bans issued for physical abuse of a referee and the New Zealand Rugby Union needed to take a much firmer stand on the whole issue and impose tougher sanctions on those who step way over the mark.
"It's a reflection of what we see out there and these are people who are physically abusing a ref and getting away with it - slap on the wrist."
Recruitment over the past year, Mr Dockary said, was "challenging" although he was pleased to see new referees still coming forward.
It was no easy gig and referees were embraced and greatly appreciated by the overall rugby fraternity.
"It is important not to let a minority of loudmouth idiots stop your enjoyment of the sport you love, as difficult as that can be sometimes."
Was sideline abuse on the rise?
"It comes and goes - I don't think it has got any worse but it is not getting any better," Mr Dockary said.
"Most people are pretty good but of course you always get the odd one and there is no simple fix - the responsibility lies with everyone."
That was club officials, players and other spectators on the sidelines.
"The most effective way to help stop this is to get other people to challenge those people on the sideline."
He cited one well publicised case where a referee, having copped a mouthful of abuse from a spectator, walked over and said "here's the whistle - you go and do it".
The abuser walked away, but mumbled something as he went so the referee followed him and again held the whistle out.
The message got through.
He said while the incidents were effectively isolated they did have a smothering effect on people who may have considered doing a spot of refereeing.
He had talked to a lot of people who had considered taking up the whistle but had decided not to - generally citing the same sentiment of "who would want to put up with that?"
Young ones were especially daunted by it, with the prospect of running the sideline as an assistant referee equally daunting.
"Spectators don't understand their role because they are looking for different things than the referee - they are there to assist, not referee, but will cop all sorts of abuse."
The referees association, however, had a strong heart in terms of supporting, assisting and mentoring newcomers to the art of game control.
"The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union also offers fantastic support and work to identify issues and get clubs to take responsibility."
In terms of serious abuse Mr Dockary has seen it and experienced it himself, big-time.
As an AR (assistant referee) for a Magpies vs Canterbury clash at McLean Park in 2009 he ruled Bay prop Sona Taumalolo had gone into touch before scoring what would have meant a draw-resulting try.
There was no video ref operating and he got it wrong, and after the match, in the changing room, one of the Sky TV crew told him they'd closely looked at the footage and the prop had stayed in.
Mr Dockary said he was gutted at the error, but was unprepared for just how far some spectators would take it.
He copped face-to-face abuse, and to his disgust learned family members were also getting a verbal battering about it.
And his house was bombarded with eggs.
"That was bad, but when they have a go at your family - crazy."
On the use of video replays and consultation at top levels, Mr Dockary had no issue with it as it "adds to getting the decision right".
It had to be used judiciously though, and said its use in some NRL (rugby league) games was verging on over the top at times.
"But in a professional game you've got to get it right because there can be [players'] careers on the line.
"It has its place but has to be used properly."
Putting together a solid pool of referees is not easy, given on average there are something like 68 games of rugby ranging from F Grade to premier every Saturday across the Hawke's Bay region.
Heading into the start of this season that challenging quest to pull together enough referees was summed up in an appeal for anyone interested in taking up the whistle to call the Hawke's Bay Referees Association with the opening line "as is usually the case, we are again this year desperately short in our referees".
Mr Dockary said getting a full crew together was always tight and the abuse issue did not help things.
The association's new chairman, Mr Malone, agreed.
"It is a factor," he said.
"We have some very good referees coming through this year and we want them to be safe."
Some were in their teens, and there were also four young women now carrying the whistle across the region.
"We [the association] work hard at looking after our members and people have to remember we are all volunteers - we give up our weekends and we do the very best we can. We are not test referees and we are not paid."
Mr Malone said the association and the rugby union worked in closely with the clubs and that had seen the emergence of ground controllers provided by clubs along with roping the fields.
"It has helped," Mr Malone said.
"As long as they step in because that is their role."
He said it was unfortunate that some spectators tended to incite trouble - and others effectively saw them getting away with it and some would join in.
"It can snowball."
At the end of the day the referees simply wanted to play their part in ensuring the great landscape of sport was looked after and catered for.
That games could be staged for players and spectators to enjoy.
As Mr Malone reiterated - "we just do the best we can".