Iro cooks up something special for Val's Aitu debut

KL Iro was 16 years old and dreaming of an NRL career the first time he saw Valentine Holmes tearing up the sidelines for the Cronulla Sharks.

A graceful mover in full cry, Holmes etched his name in Sharks folklore as the club broke a 50-year drought by winning the 2016 premiership.

A decade later, Iro lines up in the same team as his boyhood idol as Cook Islands take on the Kiwis in Christchurch in the second match of their 2026 World Cup campaign.

“I looked up to Val because when I was a teenager he was playing at the Sharks and I thought to myself, ‘There’s a Cook Islands man playing in the NRL’,” Iro told NRL.com. 

“It was what I was also striving for. Now we get to pull on the same jersey together and it’s a jersey that connects us with all the beauty and culture of our homeland.

“He’s been keen for a few years now but I kept in contact with him to make sure he remained keen as it meant so much to me."

Now 26, Iro is captain of Cook Islands again after leading them in last year’s Pacific Championships. He was also a member of the 2022 World Cup squad led by former Eels flyer Brad Takairangi, who backs up again in 2026. 

Holmes played all his 21 Tests for Australia, scoring 20 tries and helping to win the 2017 and 2022 World Cups on the Kangaroos wing.

The 31-year-old holds the record for most tries in a World Cup match with six against Fiji at Suncorp Stadium in 2017 - a week he had bagged five against Samoa in Darwin.

“Val’s a big ‘in’ for us – I can’t wait to play with him, and he’s lost none of his speed," Iro said.

“He’s still firing. At the start of this year he told me he’s as fit as he’d ever been. 
“He may still be an old fella but he’s had a magnificent career and it isn’t over. He’s got the Cook Islands chapter to write.” 

Iro, son of Kiwis great Kevin Iro and nephew of Tony Iro, has played all 11 internationals with the Aitu.

He was born in Leeds when his dad played in the Super League but follows in his father’s footsteps seeing as Kevin’s last four Tests were with the Cook Islands after the Pacific island nation gained IRL membership. 

“I grew up back home so coming into camps seeing the other Cook Islands players and coaching staff always makes me feel like I’m back in the islands,” Iro said. 

After a 40-12 loss to Fiji in their opening game, Cook Islands will look to get back on track by throwing the Kiwis off their game and spreading the ball wide for Holmes and Iro to run free.