'Kids get stuck': Iro's vision for Cook Islands pathway to NRL
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Cronulla centre KL Iro has outlined plans to use the upcoming World Cup to establish development pathways for more Cook Islands youngsters to chase their NRL debut.
There has been a long tradition of players of Cook Islands heritage but Iro is among a small group of NRL players to have grown up in the tiny Pacific Island nation.
It's a situation he's desperate to change and this year's World Cup looms as a unique opportunity to inspire the next generation of emerging players.
From the field: KL Iro
"Everyone loves rugby league but it's about the opportunities," Iro told NRL.com. "Kids get stuck there. The kids I grew up with, all the talented ones, they just never left the country and never got their chance.
"We've got to start building pathways and let the parents know they need to move the kids away at younger ages and make that sacrifice for them to fulfil their dreams.
"It's slowly changing but I'm hoping we can get more junior pathways. When they watch us Cook Islands boys playing in the World Cup, that gives them hope and they have a dream to be there as well."
Match: Sharks v Dolphins
Round 3 -
home Team
Sharks
7th Position
away Team
Dolphins
9th Position
Venue: Ocean Protect Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
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Iro will represent his Cook Islands heritage when he takes to the field for Multicultural Round in Cronulla's clash with the Dolphins.
The centre played a key role in the country's successful bid to qualify for the World Cup and is set to line up alongside the likes of Valentine Holmes and Davvy Moale for the tournament.
Qualification has already had a positive effect, with the team attracting new sponsors and hoping to reinvest that money into the grassroots.
Brendan Piakura with some special footwork in space
Talent and passion for the game are not in short supply in the Cook Islands, with NRL Immortal Andrew Johns attending the local competition's grand final in 2024.
The Knights legend was stunned by the quality and the fervent support for the game and expressed his desire for a Witzer Pre-Season Challenge game to be played there in the future.
The biggest issue, however, is the lack of opportunities for talented youngsters to receive the elite training required to develop into an NRL player.
While he grew up in the Arorangi, Iro moved to New Zealand as a teenager for family reasons and was provided with the chance to chase his rugby league dream.
It's a dream, he recognises, he likely would not have made reality if not for the decision to move away from his homeland.
"There was no way I would be here if I didn't move," Iro said. "I wanted to move earlier. I wanted to move when I was 12 and it would have been better if I came straight to Australia.
"New Zealand didn't have the junior development back then, they didn't have Harold Matthews, they just had under 20s and [NSW] Cup, so even I struggled with my development.
"I had a later start and I'm still developing my game now. That sweet age is around 10-12 when you need to move to develop and get better because there's not much competition at home. There's freakish players but they don't get the chance to progress."
Iro has worked hard to provide more opportunities back home since breaking into the Sharks NRL side and regularly returns to the Cook Islands to visit his friends and family.
A trip home over Christmas carried additional meaning, when the 26-year-old proposed to his partner.
KL Iro's 2025 try-scoring season
While he enjoys returning home, Iro is also desperate to help youngsters travel to Australia to receive a taste of the NRL. The centre and his mother helped facilitate a visit by his junior club, the Arorangi Bears, to Cronulla last year, with the under 13 boys side playing Kurnell in a match before attending a Sharks game.
Plans are already advanced for two more tours this year, with a women's team set to travel to Australia before a men's team flies to Christchurch for the Cook Island's World Cup clash with the Kiwis at the city's state of the art new stadium.
"My mum was huge with that, she ran all the fundraising to make it happen," Iro said. "Instead of a kids team, they want to bring a women's team over to play a local women's team here.
"Then at the World Cup we have a game in Christchurch so they're fundraising to get a men's team there so they can play a men's A-grade team in Christchurch.
"They're trying to give everyone different opportunities and get them out of their local lifestyles. My mum's been huge helping with that stuff, fundraising and getting it moving."
