To see John Aloisi sign his contract and get his Mariners' shirt...

Aloisi arrived at Sydney just after dawn following a marathon trek halfway across the world to join Central Coast Mariners for the rest of the season.

Despite flying from Bilbao in Spain to Frankfurt in Germany to Singapore and on to Sydney, Aloisi showed no sign of jet lag as he stepped from the plane.

And he promised to do everything he can to bring a first class duty free boost to the Mariners' title campaign.

"They're top of the league and hopefully I can continue their run," he told au.fourfourtwo.com this morning. "It's good to be back and I'm looking forward to it.

"I thought it was time for me to come home. It was the right choice for me and my family and the Mariners made it clear they wanted me really badly.

"They're an ambitious club and so am I. We both want to qualify for the Asian Champions League next year."

Although looking very slim and svelte, Aloisi admitted he was lacking match sharpness but was ready to knuckle down to get in top condition.

"My fitness is quite good but my match fitness isn't the best which is pretty normal," he said. "It's been almost six months since I played my last game."

And he's not ruling out an extension to his stay on the Central Coast and reviving his Socceroos career after he was dropped from the squad for the Argentina match last month.

"It's up to the club and myself," he said. "I'm just looking forward to playing this season out and seeing what happens.

"A lot of our World Cup qualifying matches are going to be played here in Australia and at my age you don't want to be travelling from Europe for matches every couple of months.

"There are also quite a few young players coming through the Socceroos squad and hopefully with my experience, I can help them."

Aloisi is now set to debut in the Mariners match against Sydney this weekend, the club that pursued Aloisi right up to the last moment to be their star signing.

"It's ironic," admitted Aloisi. "But I'd like to thank all the clubs that were after me."

He confirmed his brother Ross's club, Wellington Phoenix, were also in the mix to secure his signature on a contract but couldn't match the deal the Mariners were offering.

"I've always wanted to play with my brother and I know he's always wanted to play with me, but the Central Coast Mariners showed me how much they wanted me to play with them.

"They have a good chance of winning something this year - and it's always nice to play for a winning side."

Aloisi revealed he has been in touch with his Socceroo team mates to find out about the A-league before joining up with any of the competing clubs.

"I'm expecting a high standard," he added. "I spoke to quite a few people and although it's not quite the standard of some overseas leagues like Spain, England or Italy, it's still a high standard.

"There are a lot of good players here including several past and present Socceroos."

He's now braced for the media furore his move back to Australia will create.

"It was pretty big news in Spain," he said. "They were saying the A-League must be a league that's going places - it's been talked about a lot over there."

Now Aloisi is convinced he's just part of a trend that's going to get bigger and bigger.

"You're going to see a lot more Australian players coming back early from overseas," he predicted. "It's a good option to come back and make an impact here."

Aloisi was met by a relieved Mariners Chairman Lyall Gorman who was simply delighted to see his star signing on Australian soil at last.

"It's been very exciting over the past few days," he admitted. "It's the biggest deal in the club's history.

"John offers a tremendous opportunity to advance our club's ambitions."

To see John Aloisi sign his contract and get his Mariners' shirt...