Those who think Warriors five-eighth James Maloney will be overawed facing off against Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall in Friday night's elimination final, don't know much about the man they used to call "Sterlo".

The old nickname reveals much about a self-assured but late-blooming NRL talent, who is on the radar of representative selectors after a stellar year, yet is still a virtual unknown.

Maloney's background is as a NSW Cup toiler, who spent two of those formative years in the Parramatta lower grades from 2007-08.

He was christened "Sterlo" during this time after telling anyone who would listen at feeder team Wentworthville that he was the Eels' long-awaited heir to Peter Sterling at No.7.

"He drove everybody mad when he first came to Parramatta," said his Wentworthville grand final winning coach from `08, Rip Taylor.

"He knew the Peter Sterling story back-to-back, hence why we nicknamed him Sterlo."

Maloney built a reputation as being a cocky larrikin, often testing the patience of coaches and teammates.

After his two years in reserve grade at Parramatta, Maloney made his NRL debut for Melbourne in 2009, but again spent most of the year playing for feeder team Central Coast.

It wasn't until 2010 at the Warriors that Maloney was given the opportunity he'd been waiting for, and as promised, he didn't let it slip.

The 25-year-old has backed up the talk and found balance in his approach to the game as he prepares for the biggest occasion of his career against the world's best player.

"We had a few talks, he wasn't sure what he had to do to get a chance, but he was always confident if someone showed a bit of love in him he'd repay the faith," Taylor told AAP.

"I'm rapt for the kid, I'm glad (Warriors coach) Ivan (Cleary) gave him a shot. He's put a bit of polish on him, they've shown a bit of trust in him and he's backed himself.

"He always had that ability to step up to the plate when it was needed.

"A lot of people thought he was possibly over-confident and that might have been a bit worrying for them, but it was just his nature."

Maloney's Central Coast coach, former NRL player Jamie Feeney, also admits the Warriors' key man wasn't an easy player to coach - but says his outward personality never hindered his on-field performance.

Feeney has stayed in contact with his captain from the 2009 season, and believes settling down with partner Jess and becoming a father have made a major difference for Maloney.

"No doubt he's still over there cracking jokes, but he's probably picking his times and he's getting success because he's really taking control of himself and his team," Feeney said.

"He was a bit cocky, but I guess that's what the best halfbacks are.

"He's not always every coach's cup of tea and that was tough at times, but I knew he was one of those players that as soon as he crossed the white line, he was tremendous."

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