 In week one of the finals, Maloney kicked a field goal and scored a try as Penrith defeated the New Zealand Warriors 27-12.In week two, Penrith were eliminated by Maloney's former side the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 21-20.At the beginning of the 2019 season, Penrith were expected to be challenging for position in the top 4 of the competition but found themselves sitting last on the table after only winning 2 of their first 10 games with Maloney and teammate Nathan Cleary copping criticism.