St Helens are in the market for a centre after the departure of Will Hopoate at the end of last season.
The Saints have been linked will a whole host of players such as Justin Olam and Curtis Scott but neither seem likely at this stage especially with Olam likely to join Wests Tigers in a swap that will see Shawn Blore join Melbourne Storm.
With these options out of the question, they could move for Cronulla Sharks’ Kayal Iro. The young man was a target of Castleford Tigers and very nearly completed the move to the Super League at that stage but could very well do so now at a stage in his career with his contract a year from expiry and not getting much game time at the Sharks.
A move to St Helens would be apt indeed with his father Kevin Iro having played for the club as well as Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos.
He was a standout with the Newtown Jets in the 2022 season in their climb into first position on the KOE NSW Cup ladder and after that he signed a new contract with the Sharks, one that tied him to the Cronulla Club through until the end of the 2024 season.
Iro, who played for the Cook Islands against Samoa in a 2022 Pacific Test match prior to the World Cup and was promoted into the Sharks top 30 for the remainder of the 2022 season and then became a member of the full-time NRL squad for the two years to follow.
An aggressive ball runner and strong defender, in 16 matches for the Jets in 2022 he has scored 11 tries, while Iro also features in a number of other statistical categories, where he is first in run metres for the entire competition, almost 200 metres clear of the second-placed player, and fourth for line breaks.
With an impressive pedigree, as the son of Kiwi international Kevin, Iro has already tasted international rugby league in representing the Cook Islands a month or so ago, in what was a proud moment for him and his family.
Could the Saints make a move for the centre?
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