The last 12 months will have made many of people feel rather old.
It’s seen the sons of Terry O’Connor, Leon Pryce, Jim Gannon, Ellery Hanley and Kevin Sinfield all make a splash in Super League whilst the sons of Keith Mason, Matt Diskin and Jamie Jones-Buchanan play scholarship rugby.
Yesterday, another former Super League star’s son made his mark but this time in the NRL. The young man in question was Kayal Iro the son of former Leeds and St Helens star Kevin Iro.
Iro’s first taste of British rugby league came at Wigan whom he played for from 1987-92 playing his part in the likes of the 1988-89 Lancashire Cup Final, the 1988-98 John Player Cup Final and the 1989-90 Regal Trophy Final as well as playing in the first four of Wigan’s famous eight Challenge Cup Final successes in a row as well as winning the title three times with the Cherry and Whites.
He would later play for Leeds continuing his prolific try scoring record after scoring 60 in 100 games for Wigan, Iro scored 64 in 124 appearances in the Blue and Amber and helped the Rhinos get to consecutive Challenge Cup Finals in 1994 and 1995.
His last spell in England came in Super League at St Helens where he became a back-to-back Super League Champion in 1999 and 2000 even scoring St Helens’ lone try of the 1999 Grand Final win over Bradford.
Now his son is going to strive and live up to that legacy in the NRL after making his debut for Cronulla this weekend as the Sharks defeated Canterbury Bulldogs 16-0.
The versatile back has already played international rugby for the Cook Islands both in Nines and fully fledged internationals and is still only 22 years old.
He becomes Cronulla’s 555th player taking the spot of the injured Matt Ikuvalu who picked up an injury in the captain’s run before the game.
Here you can watch him share the news with his parents that he’s set to make his NRL debut.
The emotional moment Kayal Iro shares the news to his parents that he will be making his NRL Debut 🥺#UpUp pic.twitter.com/RJA2k1Ekjy
— Cronulla Sharks (@cronullasharks) August 27, 2022
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