Josh Aloiai

In 2014 and 2015, Aloiai played for the Parramatta Eels' NYC team.[5] On 18 October 2014, he played for the Junior Kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos.[6] 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."[7] On 11 November, he signed a 1-year contract with the Wests Tigers starting in 2016.[8]

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.[9][10] He re-signed with the club for a further season soon after.[11]

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."[7]

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."[12] 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."[13] In round 11, Aloiai suffered a "gruesome" dislocated patella[14] 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.[15] but withdrew from the team.

Aloiai played 16 games for the Wests Tigers, mostly from the bench, and made his first appearances in the front row.

In June, he made his international debut for Samoa against Tonga. He said, "When I told my Mum she got pretty emotional, just telling me how proud my father would have been. My aunties and uncles, my dad's brothers and sisters have all messaged me along with my first cousins just saying how proud it is for the Samoan side of the family."[2]

At season's end, Aloiai was nominated for the Ken Stephen Medal for community service. He said, "It caught me by surprise actually. A lot of the community stuff I do, whether it is through the club or in my own time, I don't do it for recognition. My achievements say a lot about my mum."[3]

Starting the season on the bench, Alioai was moved to lock in round 5, before finishing as starting prop from round 17. Having made 17 appearances, his season ended after round 20 due to injury.[16] Having been effected by a wrist complaint all season, he later said, "I broke my scaphoid, got a screw in it, but the screw broke off and moved into my wrist so I had to get some other surgeries. I ended up getting a rib graft done, where they grab some rib and some cartilage and use it to reconstruct your scaphoid and your wrist. it had been about 18 months since I had a functional wrist."[17]

In a season shortened by Covid 19, Aloiai played 17 games, missing only 2. For the first time in his career, he started at prop in every appearance. Scoring a personal best 3 tries, his stats were much improved on previous seasons. His running metres increased from an average of 94 per game in 2019 to 136 in 2020, and his tackles made and tackles missed were both the best of his career.[18]

On 17 November, Aloiai handed in a transfer request to the Wests Tigers stating that he wanted an immediate release to join Manly-Warringah. Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis spoke to Fox Sports about the players transfer request stating "As far as we’re concerned he can mow the lawns at Leichhardt and Campbelltown and paint the sheds at Concord, He’s a contracted employee at the Wests Tigers for 2021 and under the terms of his employment he’ll be remaining at the club".[19]