Son of a gun Kayal Iro signs with Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights have locked in another signing for the upcoming season with the son of a New Zealand great, who himself is already an international, joining the club.
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His father is a Kiwi legend and Newcastle recruitment boss Alex McKinnon likes what he sees in youngster Kayal Iro who has signed a one-year deal with the Knights.
The 19-year-old Cook Islands representative is the son of former New Zealand Test centre Kevin Iro, who had a glittering career in England and Australia which included playing for Manly in the 1990s.
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Young Iro, who has signed an under 20s contract with Newcastle, played for the Cook Islands at the World Cup 9s tournament last month in Sydney and has represented the junior Kiwis and was part of the Warriors’ system in Auckland since 2016.
“Kayal is an energetic player,” McKinnon told the Knights website.
“He can play anywhere in the backline and played fullback for the Cook Islands but I believe his best position is in the centres.
“He’s an athletic body with a lot of potential.”
Kayal isn’t the first Iro to play in the Newcastle area with his dad and uncle Tony both star signings for Super League club the Hunter Mariners in 1997.
Kevin, a damaging centre, played nearly 350 games at the elite level, chalking up the bulk of his matches in the English Super League with glamour clubs Wigan, Leeds and St Helens.
He joined Manly in 1991, playing 24 matches and had stints at the Mariners before joining the Auckland Warriors in 1998.
Tony Iro played nearly 250 games at the top level, including stints at Manly and the Roosters and racked up 25 Tests for New Zealand.
The signing comes after the Knights this week secured the services of NSW Origin prop Daniel Saifiti for a further two seasons along with North Queensland Cowboys centre Enari Tuala.