Readying for Wednesday's Origin decider with captain Boyd Cordner under a cloud of concern, VB Blues five-eighth James Maloney has sung the praises of the NSW captain.
Having played alongside Cordner at both club and state level, Maloney is all too aware of the aura that the 25-year-old skipper holds amongst his peers.
"He was the perfect man to be put into that role, he leads by example, he doesn't play a bad game," Maloney says of his captain.
"He turns up game after game, you know what you're going to get from him. That's how he leads.
"He says a little, a lot of it is through his actions. The respect he is held in amongst the group, when he talks people will listen to what he has to say."
See as Maloney also spoke of the intensity at which an Origin is played, as well as his running battle with Queensland's Billy Slater.
