Josh Aloiai

Josh Aloiai
Personal information
Born (1995-11-11) 11 November 1995
Auckland, New Zealand
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 110 kg (17 st 5 lb)
Playing information
Position Second-row, Lock, Prop

Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016– Wests Tigers 54 4 0 0 16
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2018 Samoa 1 0 0 0 0
As of 4 March 2018
Source: [1]

Josh Aloiai (born 11 November 1995) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League.

Background

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Aloiai is of Samoan and Italian descent, he played his junior rugby league for the Glenora Bears, before being signed by the Parramatta Eels.

Playing career

Aloiai playing for the Parramatta Eels U20s side

Early career

In 2014 and 2015, Aloiai played for the Parramatta Eels' NYC team.[2] On 18 October 2014, he played for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos.[3] His 2015 season was hampered by injury. He said, "I was running and as I was getting tackled my hip subluxed and it the process fractured my posterior wall of my hip."[4] On 11 November, he signed a 1-year contract with the Wests Tigers starting in 2016.[5]

2016

Despite missing the pre-season with his hip injury, Aloiai made his NRL debut in round 1 against the New Zealand Warriors, playing off the interchange bench in the Tigers' 34-26 win at Campbelltown Stadium.[6][7] He re-signed with the club for a further season soon after.[8]

Playing as a reserve in the early weeks of the season, Aloiai progressed to the starting team from round 11 onward. He was the first Wests Tigers player to appear in every game of their rookie season. He said, "This year has definitely exceeded my expectations. I just feel really thankful and blessed how the year's gone."[4]

2017

Suffering a broken jaw 3 weeks into the pre-season during a training session at the beach, Aloiai was hospitalised for a short time. He said, "I just copped a bit of a shot in the jaw and got a few breaks. I had surgery that week. After the Christmas break I should be practically be into everything."[9] He signed an extension to the end of 2019 in January, saying, "It's a privilege to be able to live my dream – the players that we have here have pretty much become my brothers and we also have quality staff at the club."[10] In round 11, Aloiai suffered a "gruesome" dislocated patella[11] that kept him off the paddock until the last 4 games. He scored 2 tries from his 15 appearances.

Aloiai was named in the Italian team for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[12] but withdrew from the team.

Personal life

Aloiai is a devout Christian. "I think the sport they play in heaven is rugby league. I reckon God loves it. A big part of what I'm trying to do now is incorporate my faith into my footy, a lot of people don't understand how that works but it works awesome for me. God has given me a gift so I'm trying to use it is through rugby league and glorify his name," he has said.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Josh Aloiai - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. 1995-11-11. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  2. ↑ "A". Nyc Database. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  3. ↑ "2014 JUNIOR KIWIS TEAM ANNOUNCED". Rugbyleagueweek.com.au. 2014-10-10. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  4. 1 2 Chris Kennedy. "Tigers cub set for new rookie record". nrl.com.
  5. ↑ "Wests Tigers sign Junior Kiwi". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  6. ↑ "Updated: Round 1 NRL team lists". NRL.com. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  7. ↑ NRL. "Late Changes: NRL Round 1 vs. Warriors - Tigers". Weststigers.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  8. ↑ "Aloiai re-signs with Wests Tigers". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  9. ↑ Chris Kennedy. "Broken jaw gives Aloiai timely perspective". nrl.com.
  10. ↑ "Aloiai re-signs with Wests Tigers". nrl.com.
  11. ↑ Phil Lutton. "Painful night on all fronts as Tigers are trampled by Broncos". The Northern Daily Leader.
  12. ↑ "Tedesco, Vaughan named for Italy". nrl.com. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. ↑ Adrian Proszenko. "Sorry rugby but it's NRL they play in heaven, says Wests Tigers rookie Josh Aloiai". Sydney Morning Herald.
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