‘I've been too shy to bring it up': KL Iro explains why he's decided to change his name ahead of Sharks return
The Sharks will welcome back one of their brightest stars at Magic Round, but there'll be a subtle change when the team sheet is shown before kick-off with Kayal Iro deciding the time is right to go by his unofficial birth name.
The strike centre will now go by KL Iro, although his name will remain Kayal on official documents.
Iro revealed that this was something he always wanted to do, with KL the initials of his famous father Kevin Leslie Iro, who dominated for New Zealand.
The Cook Islands international returns from a hamstring injury against the Eels on Friday night and hopes the change will make it easier for people to pronounce his name.
It's a name we'll be saying for the next decade, with the young gun one of the most promising exciting backs coming through the system after a breakout 2024 and an even hotter start to this season before he got hurt.
'When I was a baby, KL was originally my first name. But my mum wouldn't let me leave the hospital until we changed it, so she changed the spelling of it,' Iro said.
'All my life, my dad would write KL ... When I moved over here (to Australia), my dad always wanted me to change it, but I've just been too shy to bring it up.
'I feel like it's just easier to see and easier for people to pronounce.
'It's just KL – that's how it's pronounced. It's probably just more memorable, too.
'People will know me by my proper name.'
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