A five-eighth or halfback, Maloney also previously played for the Melbourne Storm, New Zealand Warriors, Sydney Roosters, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Penrith Panthers in the NRL, the Catalans Dragons in the Super League and FC Lezignan XIII in the Elite One Championship.

[8][9] In Round 1 of the 2010 NRL season, Maloney made his club debut for the New Zealand Warriors against the Gold Coast Titans, playing at five-eighth in the 24–18 loss at Robina Stadium.

It put him in contention for Dally M recognition and he was on the shortlist for the standoff of the year at the Rugby League International Federation's awards.

[18] On 5 June 2013, Maloney made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales against Queensland in Game 1 of the series alongside his Roosters halves partner Mitchell Pearce, playing at five-eighth and kicking 3 goals in the 14–6 win at ANZ Stadium.

In Round 25 against the Gold Coast Titans, Maloney played his 100th NRL career match in the 30–22 loss at Sydney Football Stadium.

[21][22] In Round 26 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, The Roosters won the minor premiership with Maloney playing a key role by scoring 2 tries and kicking 4 goals in their triumphant 24–12 at ANZ Stadium.

[29][30] In Round 21 against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Maloney played his 150th NRL career match in the 38–28 win at Sydney Football Stadium.

In Round 1 of the 2016 NRL season, Maloney made his club debut for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks against the North Queensland Cowboys, playing at five-eighth and kicking 3 goals in the 20–14 loss at 1300SMILES Stadium.

[32] In Round 5 against the Wests Tigers, Maloney scored his first club try for the Sharks even as well kicking 7 goals in the 34–26 victory at Campbelltown Stadium.

[34] Maloney's great form throughout the early rounds would land him a recall for New South Wales for the 2016 State of Origin series.

Two days after the massive victory, on 4 October 2016, Maloney was rewarded for his great year for the Sharks by being selected in Mal Meninga's Australian 24-man squad for the 2016 Four Nations.

[41] On 28 October 2016, Maloney made his international debut for Australia against Scotland, playing at five-eighth, scoring 1 try and kicking 7 goals in the smashing 54–12 win at Craven Park in Hull.

[52] 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.

[57] In Game 3 of the 2019 State of Origin series, Maloney kicked 5 goals and helped New South Wales to a 26–20 victory at ANZ Stadium.

[61] Maloney played 14 games for Catalans Dragons in the 2020 Super League season including the 48-2 semi-final loss against St Helens.

Maloney kicked a field goal in golden point extra-time to earn Catalans Dragons a 29-28 victory over Hull KR.

It was also Maloney's final match as a top-level professional rugby league player as he announced his retirement earlier in the season.

[68] On 14 November 2023, Maloney joined the North Queensland Cowboys as an assistant coach, signing a two-year contract.