James Maloney, during what turned out to be an extended holiday, has already been told he'll regret his decision to swap Bondi Junction for the Shire.

"I caught up with Boyd Cordner in Bali and he reckons he's going to terrorise me," Cronulla's newest recruit said of the pending clash with his former club. "It will be good, no doubt it will be a bit of fun and some guys will try to get me, get a bit of bragging rights."

Maloney was one of several league stars, including new teammate Wade Graham and former Roosters club mates Cordner and Todd Carney, who travelled to Bali during their off-season. What was intended to be a 10-day break for Maloney stretched into 16 due to the volcanic ash clouds that played havoc with airport departures.

"We got back on Sunday morning," Maloney said. "I'm not due back until next Monday anyway, so I wasn't missing any training. It was terrific, I got an extra week over there, so I can't complain. There are worse places to get stuck."