When Papua New Guinea face Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup, a five-eighth with flowing locks wearing headgear and boasting a wicked sidestep will be the centre of attention.
And while the locals will be thrilled to see Jarome Luai in the flesh for the first time, there will be an added sense of excitement for their own homegrown No.6 Gairo Voro, who fits the same description.
The fleet-footed five-eighth, who will join Luai at the Chiefs on a development deal in 2028, has been compared to his opposite number after being man of the match in last week’s 42-18 demolition of Lebanon in Port Moresby.
But unlike Luai, who was raised on the doorstep of Penrith’s NRL star-making factory, Voro has faced a unique journey to Saturday's Test.
“He comes from a stilt village, so the surf goes out and he’s got a field with posts,” said Joey Grima, Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League's pathways boss.
“But when the tide comes back in he can’t play because it's all water, the beachfront is their field.”
Grima firmly believes Voro has NRL potential after he discovered the 23-year-old by chance at a junior carnival in Sogeri in the Central Province.
But there was one problem when Grima approached the livewire playmaker to offer him a call-up to the Junior Kumuls.
“He had long hair and I thought to myself, ‘this kid looks like Jarome Luai’, he’s unreal,” Grima said.
“I went up to talk to him because I can speak Tok Pisin, but he couldn't speak Tok Pisin.
"He speaks his native tongue, so I had to get someone to interpret to tell him that I'm the Junior Kumuls coach and I would like to select him.”
Voro had impressed PNG national team coach Jason Demetriou so much that the Kumuls boss took the five-eighth to England, where he coaches the London Broncos in the second division.
“When we first got to London, he couldn’t just talk to anyone, but he’s speaking well now,” said Kumuls and Broncos fullback Morea Morea.
“Garo was a bit shy and he didn't really communicate too much, but Jason has instilled a lot of belief in him.
“He's just so hard to tackle, man, because he’s so small, but so strong and lifts heavy too.”
The bright lights of the English capital would feel a world away from his remote fishing village in the Central Province.
But Voro was an instant hit in England, scoring 32 tries in 25 games to be crowned the Championship player of the year.
“You can see his growth, even in a year,” said Kumuls assistant coach Paul Aiton.
“When he came back his presence was really different, and you could always see that drive for growth in him.
“I'm excited to see how he's going to go (against Samoa) and can't wait to see what lies ahead for him in his future.
“I’ve never seen him back down, he always seems to rise to the occasion.”
