Iro’s semi-final clash a decade in the making
Jasper Bruce |
KL Iro has had a decade to prepare for his assignment in Cronulla’s semi-final as childhood mate Matt Timoko turns into his rival for a preliminary final berth.
Brisbane found major success targeting Canberra’s right edge in Sunday’s thrilling qualifying-final win, with the three tries of their second-half comeback all coming down that side.
The minor premiers have conceded 52 per cent of their four-pointers down the right edge this NRL season – the second-highest proportion for any team, behind the Warriors.
The Sharks’ left edge are poised to go after the same defensive frailties on Saturday night, and making a grand final qualifier may hinge on Iro exposing his old mate – Raiders right centre Timoko.
Iro moved to New Zealand from the Cook Islands when he was 15, joining the Warriors’ junior system as he began chasing his rugby league dream.
In Auckland, Iro struck up a fast friendship with Timoko, with whom he played on various junior representative teams.
“We’re good mates actually,” Iro told AAP.
“I’ve watched him for quite some time now. He’s a freakish player. He’s a strong runner and just built close to the ground so he’s hard to tackle.”
Their junior careers culminated in selection in the 2019 Junior Kiwis squad, alongside such future NRL players as Dylan Brown, Starford To’a and Jordan Riki.
By Iro’s admission, Timoko was the more memorable player in those days.
“I was never really one of those players that stood out. I was just on the fringes,” Iro said.
“I wasn’t really like a flashy player but he was always the next thing coming up.”
It wouldn’t have come as a surprise to Iro, then, that Timoko was quicker to earn an NRL debut and become a fixture of a first-grade backline at the Raiders.
But Iro has proven himself a star in his own right since finally locking down a regular starting gig at the Sharks last season.
Hamstring and pectoral injuries have interrupted his 2025 campaign.
But a trip home to the Cook Islands after pectoral surgery, and the advice of his father – former NRL player Kevin Iro – have helped the centre find his feet again.
“He was actually injured a lot as well in his career. He has all his hacks and ways to get his health right,” Iro said.
“He always tells me what to do, always makes sure I’m on top of my stretching and stuff like that, doing my extra work. Nutrition is probably the main one that I need to work on.
“Us Islanders love bread, so probably stay away from bread more than anything but just try to keep a clean diet.”
Now that he’s fit and firing at the business end of the year, Iro is relishing the chance to come up against Timoko, some 10 years after they first crossed paths.
“I’ve just got to make sure I shut him down when I can,” Iro said.
AAP
