Mooney (44) arrived in Dunedin late last week with his family to start his job as Otago coach for the next two years.
Mooney was something of a contentious appointment, gaining the job ahead of other favoured candidates Mike Moeahu and David Latta.
Mooney, a former Queensland Reds coach, said he understood how some people might have been disappointed with his appointment.
"But then it is up to me to prove myself to local people and I'm very keen to do that.
"I understand the value of club rugby, the history of Otago . . .
"Otago people are very passionate and knowledgeable and from my point of view I want to be a part of that," Mooney said.
"I have been watching a lot of DVDs of Otago games last year and what I have seen excites me.
"But pro footy is not easy and the margins are very, very fine.
"The reality is we have to work extremely hard, all work together.
"There is an element of a lot of things to get a good performance.
"That can be through work on the training paddock, the trust in the systems, the belief in each other.
"All the good sides have very strong belief in each other."
Mooney said he was well aware of the history of Otago, and it was similar to Queensland in a way.
"In Queensland they had the best amateur team in Australia, possibly the world, and Otago is sort of the same.
"They've got a very proud history.
"But the reality is we have got to live in the present.
"The Otago team has been there and thereabouts in recent times and we have just got to work very hard to be competitive."
Mooney had not yet talked to anyone about an assistant coach.
He was a backs coach so would be looking for a forwards assistant.
He has just spent three months working with the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team in Brisbane, and said rugby league players worked harder and were mentally tougher than rugby players.
Mooney said with his father and grandfather both having played for Queensland and the Wallabies he grew up in a rugby household.
"So I really enjoyed coming to New Zealand.
"The attraction for me is the New Zealand rugby system is a great system while in Australia it is one of four big winter sports which is competing with the likes of the AFL and the NRL."
Mooney and his family, wife Steph who hails from Taranaki, and sons Tom (8) and Ben (5) are enjoying the southern sun and getting ready to move into their house this week.
"This is a really nice part of the world but I always get the feeling people here downplay it, like they don't go on about it.
"It's sort of like that with the rugby team in some ways."
Latta said he had not ruled himself out of being involved in this year's Otago set-up and wanted to meet Mooney.
Moeahu also wanted to meet Mooney before making any decision on involvement with the team.
