Sharks star KL Iro has pledged his allegiance to the Cook Islands' bid to qualify for next year's World Cup and urged more eligible NRL players to follow his lead.
While also able to play for England and New Zealand, the centre remains committed to the Aitu as he prepares to return from a pectoral injury in Cronulla's clash with Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
Cook Islands will take on South Africa in a World Cup qualifier at CommBank Stadium on November 9. The match will be played as part of a triple-header alongside the men's and women's finals of the Pacific Championships.
Iro made his Cook Islands debut in 2019 and played for the nation at the 2022 World Cup in England.
Kayal Ironman
Next year's edition of the tournament will be played in Australia and Papua New Guinea and Iro said it's crucial for the Aitu to qualify to help grow rugby league in the island nation.
"It was a tough decision last year but this year I'm focused on getting Cook Islands into the World Cup," Iro told 94ddz.com. "As a nation we need to win that qualifier against South Africa so we can get back on the world stage.
"Qualifying for the World Cup would be huge for us and would hopefully bring more sponsors for the team. There's a couple of big names that are committed who will hopefully come out soon and play for us at the end of the year."
The Cook Islands muscle up
The son of former Kiwis star Kevin, Iro spent the vast majority of his childhood in Arorangi before moving to Auckland as a teenager to pursue his rugby league dream.
While he is one of few men to have progressed through the nation's junior pathway, there is a much larger group of NRL players with Cook Islands heritage who are eligible to represent the Aitu.
Young gun Isaiya Katoa and Raiders veteran Josh Papalii headline the list, which also features Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Xavier Willison and Brendan Piakura.
Papalii recently expressed his desire to play at next year's World Cup and indicated he will play for Cook Islands if he is not selected for Samoa
Val Holmes and Davvy Moale are also eligible, however have suffered season-ending injuries.
Over in England, former Raider Jordan Rapana has declared his desire to turn out for the Aitu and is encouraging players in the NRL and Super League to do the same.
Iro has watched on as other Pacific nations have enjoyed a meteoric rise throughout the past eight years since Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita pledged their allegiance to Tonga in 2017.
The Cook Islands are a much smaller nation, but the centre is confident they can reach similar heights in the coming years.
"All it takes is for a couple of bigger names to commit for the others to see the potential," Iro said. "Then they want to be part of making history for our nation and they'll start bringing more boys back.
"It's like what Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo did for Tonga. Once they started then everyone came back and it was the same with Samoa and the Penrith boys playing for them.
"All we need is a strong spine and then we can challenge those nations. Someone like Isaiya Katoa is Tongan and a Cook Islander so there are players out there at that level that if we had them we would kill it. One day Isaiya might win something with Tonga and then decide he wants to win something with the Cook Islands."
The Cook Islands will participate in the Pacific Bowl prior to their World Cup qualifier, where they will play Papua New Guinea and Fiji in a tournament hub in Port Moresby.
Iro has been sidelined since tearing his pectoral in a Round 14 loss to the Warriors. He underwent surgery and is set to return for the Sharks' clash with Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
A spine tingling Pe'e
The centre was forced to watch last year's Pacific Championships campaign from the sidelines due to a hamstring injury and his desire to prove his fitness for the Aitu played a key role in his desperation to get back on the field.
"I hated missing last year," Iro said. "The four years before that I had played every international game so I hated it. I wanted to go to camp and just be part of the squad but unfortunately I wasn't able to do that.
"These games at the end of the year are a big motivator. I wanted to come back early so I can play some games before the internationals so I'm not going in there and blowing my first game.
"Hopefully I have a good run into the finals with the Sharks boys going well. Then I'll be going into the Pacific Champs firing."
