Kayal Roy Iro (born 20 February 2000) is a Cook Islands international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre and winger for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and for the Cook Islands national team.
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kayal Roy Iro[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 February 2000 Leeds, England[note 1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 28 September 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editIro is the son of former player Kevin Iro and nephew of coach Tony Iro.[4] He grew up in Rarotonga where he played for the Arorangi Bears, then moved to Auckland at age 14 and attended Mount Albert Grammar School.[5][3]
Playing career
editNew Zealand Warriors
editIn 2019, Iro played for the New Zealand Warriors under 20s, before moving to the Newcastle Knights.[4]
Newcastle Knights
editOn 12 November 2019, Iro signed a one-year under 20s contract with the Newcastle Knights.[6]
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
editIn round 24 of the 2022 NRL season, Iro made his first grade debut for Cronulla in their 16-0 victory over Canterbury.[7][8]
Iro won the New South Wales Cup player of the year for the 2022 NSW Cup season while playing for the Newtown Jets, the reserve grade affiliate of the Sharks.[9][10]
On 25 July 2024, it was announced that Iro had re-signed with the Cronulla club on a two-year extension until the end of the 2026 season.[11] Iro played 23 games for Cronulla in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 4th on the table and qualified for the finals. Iro played in all three of Cronulla's finals matches including their preliminary final loss against Penrith.[12]
International
editIro represented the Cook Islands in the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s, scoring two tries in a 30–7 victory against Tonga.[13]
He made his full international début in the 66–6 win over South Africa on 21 June 2019 at fullback.[14]
Statistics
editNRL
edit- *denotes season competing [1]
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |  Cronulla-Sutherland
|
1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 23 | 6 | 24 | ||||
| Career totals | 24 | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 24 | |
International
edit| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Cook Islands
|
2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Cook Islands
|
4 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | Cook Islands
|
2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career totals | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 | |
Notes and references
editNotes
edit- ^ The Guardian reported Iro's birthplace as the Cook Islands, quoting his father Kevin.[2] NRL.com stated that Iro was born in England while Kevin was playing for St Helens in the Super League.[3] Rugby League Project lists his birthplace as Leeds, England.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Career Stats & Summary - Kayal Iro". Rugby League Project.
- ^ Gallan, Daniel (23 October 2022). "'My focus has shifted': Kevin Iro on evolving from rugby league star to ocean advocate". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ a b Mee, Cameron (2 August 2024). "How Iro hopes to change the game for Cook Islands juniors". NRL.com. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Warriors lose Kayal Iro, son of Kevin Iro, to Newcastle Knights". Stuff. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ Thomas Tarurongo Wynne (6 November 2019). "Barefoot boy to world spotlight". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Knights sign Cook Islands gun Iro". www.newcastleknights.com.au. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "South Sydney defeats North Queensland 20-10 to confirm NRL finals berth as Cronulla, Canberra post wins". www.abc.net.au.
- ^ Melina Etches (30 August 2022). "Kayal Iro debuts as Cronulla Shark #555". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ Gibbs, Tom (15 September 2022). "Iro reveals simple formula behind Jets' superb season". nswrl.com.au. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Tedesco scoops the pool at Brad Fittler Medal". nswrl.com.au. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Iro inks two-year Sharks extension". Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "The Mole's end of season review: Awkward Sharks puzzle laid bare after $1m star 'lost his way'". www.nine.com.au.
- ^ Encarnacion, Matt (19 October 2019). "Kukis rookie made of good stock: Iro". 7News.
- ^ Matt Encarnacion (21 October 2019). "Kukis rookie made of good stock: Iro". Namoi Valley Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
External links
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