80,000km, $15,000 in fuel and 1350 hours behind the wheel: Aloiai’s drive to survive
Updated July 9, 2024 — 2.43pmfirst published July 7, 2024 — 11.39am
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Josh Aloiai jokes that now he has a fresh contract extension with Manly, he might have to invest in a chauffeur.
The Sea Eagles front-rower signed a two-year extension during the week that will keep him on the northern beaches until the end of 2027. But the new deal also means a lot more hours commuting from his Campbelltown home to Brookvale and back, up to five days a week.
Despite being at Manly for four seasons, Aloiai has resisted moving his family from south-western Sydney. Aloiai is behind the wheel of his Kia Sorrento by 5.30am most days, driving along the M5 Motorway, the M7, the M2, then on to Military Road and The Spit before being one of the first to training. It equates to about 900km a week, or 3800km a month.
An extra two years works out to be roughly 1350 hours of driving for 80,000km, $15,000 in fuel and $22,000 in tolls, before rebates. Before the NSW Government scheme to cap tolls each week, Aloiai was paying north of $400 a week.
“I’m yet to be late, not once,” he said. “I’m paranoid about it, which is why I’m on the road by 5.30am each day. Any later and I’ll hit traffic. Even if we start a bit later, I’ll get in early and do some prep work.
“Thankfully the tolls are now capped at $60 a week. Before that, I was paying between $1700 or $1800 a month. If I was doing a promo for the club, the tolls were tax deductible. But you can’t claim them when driving to and from work. I’ve got a diesel now, so I don’t have to fill up as often. I still wish I had a fuel card.”
Aloiai can spend up to two hours driving one way, and passes the time calling relatives in New Zealand, listening to podcasts – Joe Rogan and ex-Navy Seal Shawn Ryan are two he regularly listens to – while he relies on Sea Eagles teammates to provide him with new playlists.
Josh Aloiai behind the wheel.
“There is a lot of old-school R&B and hip-hop,” Aloiai said. “All the boys joke about me driving from Wollongong each day. It’s not that far, but it’s far.
“I’ve never wanted to leave Campbelltown. I have two sons, Uriah and Eli, and all their cousins and aunties and uncles live out west. I want them around family. I’m happy to suck up the drive.”
The only work hazard for Aloiai when having to spend so much time on the road is keeping a clean driving record.
When you ask him how many demerit points he has, Aloiai giggles and says: “That’s a strange question. I am on very thin ice with the demerits. In fact, good behaviour next week.”
Aloiai has been solid for the Sea Eagles who host Newcastle at what will be a packed 4 Pines Park on Sunday afternoon. Jake Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans are missing because of Origin duty, with Tom Trbojevic to captain Manly and Haumole Olakau’atu a surprise inclusion after being overlooked by the Blues for game three.
Aloiai was glad the new contract provided job security, and said there was a lot of confidence within the club about how far Manly can push this season.
Manly prop Josh Aloiai has been in solid form this season. CREDIT:GETTY
“I’ve got so many good relationships at the club, including ‘Seebs’ [coach Anthony Siebold], and assistants Steven Hales and Jim Dymock – all three of those guys I have a ton of respect for,” Aloiai said. “I’ve got that security now, and knowing I get to keep playing for people I want to play for, and play next to, it’s great and all worth it.
“We’ve spoken about our next three games until we have another bye. So these next few games are almost worth double points. They are so crucial. We need to break away from that cluster.”
Olakau’atu featured for NSW in the opening two Origins, and while disappointed to not feature in the decider, said he could understand why Michael Maguire opted for New Zealand Warriors forward Mitch Barnett. Barnett is more capable of playing in the middle and on an edge, while Olakau’atu is an out-and-out backrower. “Obviously I was a bit disappointed, but once ‘Madge’ [Maguire] broke it down, I fully understood what he was talking about,” Olakau’atu said. “For me personally, it’s hard to put a second-rower into a game when you’ve got second-rowers killing it. But I don’t blame Madge. And I’m happy for Mitch Barnett.”
