Maloney, Moylan set to meet former clubs
Who got the better of the James Maloney-Matt Moylan trade deal?
It's a debate that's sure to rage in the lead up to Friday's NRL semi-final clash between Cronulla and Penrith following their playmaker swap last NRL off-season.
And while Maloney has ticked a lot of boxes this year, including guiding NSW to a breakthrough State of Origin series win, Sharks No.6 Moylan has been more dominant than his predecessor in almost every major stat.
According to numbers provided by Fox Sports Stats, Moylan has out-played Maloney in terms of try assists (16 to 14), linebreaks (8 to 5) and linebreak assists (21 to 14).
As well, he has missed fewer tackles (3 to 6.1 per match), conceded fewer penalties (15 to 19) and made fewer errors (30 to 33).
The trade was brought on after Maloney agitated for a pay upgrade in the wake of his 2016 premiership heroics and Moylan reportedly fell out with then Panthers coach Anthony Griffin.
When asked who had got the better end of the deal, Cronulla No.7 Chad Townsend put a foot on both sides of the fence but said his combination with Moylan was beginning to blossom.
"I'm not going to answer that question," Townsend said.
"At the end of the day business is just business and that's just footy.
"I loved my time playing with Jimmy but equally I've enjoyed my time playing with Matty.
"The last month of the season we've been able to win four in a row and I truly felt like we were clicking into high gear.
"On the weekend I felt like we combined well. We just didn't execute those three opportunities and if we did, the game could have been different."
Moylan has taken time to find his groove in the Shire - he's been affected by a hamstring injury and was used at fullback early in the season.
Some would point out that while Maloney does have deficiencies in his game, he is an out-and-out match-winner. He also kicks goals and is relied upon for more of the general kicking for his club.
He was crucial in Saturday's elimination final win over former club Warriors, one of three teams he has taken to a grand final.
His inconsistency can be summed up in his performance in the side's round 21 win over Canberra in which he threw two intercepts, missed 10 tackles but laid on a try and scored another to win the game.
TRADING PLACES
A look at Matt Moylan and James Maloney's NRL season.
MALONEY
* 21 appearances
* 15 wins
* 4 tries, 53 goals, 126 points
* 5.4 runs per game
* 14 try assists
* 5 linebreaks
* 14 linebreak assists
* 6.1 missed tackles per game
* 33 errors
* 19 penalties conceded
* 238 kick metres per game
MOYLAN
* 22 appearances
* 13 wins
* 2 tries, 8 points
* 7.3 runs per game
* 16 try assists
* 8 linebreaks
* 21 linebreak assists
* 3 missed tackles per game
* 30 errors
* 15 penalties conceded
* 61 kick metres per game.
