His impending departure for an NRL rival represents the soul-less side of modern sport, with its free-agent mantra. Not everything about the good old days was good, but team identity was something to treasure back then.
That a player whose career was ignited by the Warriors should depart at this stage is disheartening, to put it mildly.
The Warriors gave the Melbourne back-up a big break, and in return their fans will get a slowly delivered bon voyage card throughout 2012. That he sought an early release - one that would have left them in the lurch - showed scant regard for the club which bolstered his career.
The Warriors have made so many bad signings over the years, including under Ivan Cleary. For every Micheal Luck and Steve Price there have been lines of failures.
Maloney was a rare triumph, ready to turn the club's erratic history in the halves into a long-term strength. Alongside the magnificent Luck, Maloney may have turned into the best "find" from across the Tasman.
Maloney has trotted out the usual guff about family reasons, and to be fair you don't find a lot of Aussies making a home in New Zealand.
But what about the fans? What about their hopes and dreams? On one hand, we are told that we have to expect this, because sport is a business and these men are professionals. Yet in what business does an employee still work for one company, while already employed to join the opposition.
As for the "family reasons"; put it this way, family imperatives tend to be shelved when the massive offers come along. "Family reasons" get trotted out because family is sacrosanct. It's tougher to criticise players when they claim that they are simply looking after the financial future of their little ones or miss their mum and dad.
Call me cold-hearted, and I'm not specifically commenting on Maloney's situation, but the "family reasons" are often a cynical use of emotion to negate criticism.
This, admittedly, is a two-way street because modern clubs can be just as ruthless and loyalty-free in dealing with players, but the Maloney case hardly falls into that category.
If the Warriors' 2012 season goes pear shaped then the Maloney situation will invite scrutiny, rumour and condemnation - particularly as he sought an early release. Quite rightly, his priorities will be questioned, as should the effect of going into the season with a key player already having decided to leg it for opposing trenches.
The club had signed Kiwi utility Thomas Leuluai as pre-emptive cover and Leuluai has shown excellent signs in the national jersey, although the relentless NRL demands could find him out. A future Leuluai/Shaun Johnson combo is not without high promise. All is not lost.
Given Maloney's outstanding form and a lack of alternatives, it is easy to see why the Warriors have bound him to the final year of his contract. With Leuluai not contracted until 2013, they had little choice.
Sport is still an emotional business though, and I for one have lost interest in James Maloney, Warrior, for now - although the chance is always there that he could win this fan back.
Testing cricket
Test cricket is here with the first test between New Zealand and Australia starting in Brisbane tomorrow. Fantastic. And have we ever had a better chance to beat Australia across the ditch? This will be the worst Aussie bowling attack New Zealand has faced for many years - not that ours is all that flash either.
The Hansen charade
The New Zealand Rugby Union's search for a new All Black coach is an elaborate charade. Steve Hansen will get the job, the only question being who his assistants are. The NZRU is only appearing to search for a new All Black coach, probably to show how diligent they are. Good on Vern Cotter for applying, which signals his intent, but he's got no chance.
