The Next Jarome Luai Ready to face the Original in World Cup Showdown

PNK deploy Gairo Voro to face Jarome Luai in Port Moresky this Saturday

By LineZotpaper

Published23 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources3 outlets

PNG playmaker Gairo Voro, whose rapid rise from a remote fishing village to a London Broncos contract has drawn comparisons to Jarome Luai, will face the three-time premiership winner for the first time this Saturday when the Papua New Guinea Kumuls meet Samoa in a Rugby League World Cup match in Port Moresby.

Requests for an interview with Gairo Voro were politely declined. The man who discovered him, PNG Chiefs development manager Joey Grima, noted the language barrier makes it better if Voro's football does the talking.

Hailing from a remote fishing village in the Abau District in PNG's Central Province where neither English nor Tok Pisin is spoken, Voro's talent was immediately obvious when Grima stumbled upon him at a tournament in Sogeri in 2023.

"When I saw this player, I thought, 'Wow, he looks like Jarome Luai,'" Grima recalled. "After the game, I ignorantly walked up to him and tried to ask him a few questions to introduce myself as the Junior Kumuls head coach. And he looked at me like I was from another planet."

Voro has since earned a contract with the London Broncos and is one of the first homegrown development signings for the PNG Chiefs ahead of their NRL debut in 2028. He has already announced himself with a club-record seven-try, 44-point haul against Hunslet and a man-of-the-match performance for the Kumuls against Lebanon.

This weekend's match will see the 23-year-old line up against the 29-year-old Luai. "I haven't gotten to meet him or play against him ... but I've seen a lot of footage of him and how exciting he is as a player," Luai said. "I know he's compared to me a lot, but in his own right, he's his own great player. So, it'll be a good personal challenge."

PNG Chiefs coach Willie Peters met Voro for the first time this week but has clearly been impressed. "There are a lot of similarities there to Jarome," Peters said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him do it again this weekend. It's a step up against the Samoans, but if he can shine again, that's a huge step forward to showing he can play NRL." On the possibility of the pair playing together in the halves in the Chiefs' inaugural season, Peters said: "Never say never."

Analysis

Why This Matters

This weekend's match creates an immediate, compelling narrative as the player dubbed the next Jarome Luai faces the three-time NRL premiership winner for the first time.
It showcases the success of the PNG Chiefs grassroots scouting in a nation with immense rugby talent and limited infrastructure.
The game will serve as a live audition for the Chiefs halves combination for their 2028 NRL debut.

Background

Gairo Voro was discovered by PNG Chiefs player development manager Joey Grima at a tournament in Sogeri in 2023. Hailing from a remote fishing village in the Abau District where neither English nor Tok Pisin is spoken, Voro's talent was unmistakable. Grima described him as a player with sound, aggressive defence and a natural talent for orchestrating a game. Voro has since signed with the London Broncos and is a key part of the Chiefs development pipeline for the NRL.

Key Perspectives

[Gairo Voro/PNG Kumuls]: The 23-year-old has not given media interviews due to the language barrier, choosing instead to let his on-field performance do the talking. A club-record scoring haul for the Broncos and a man-of-the-match effort for the Kumuls have backed up the hype. [Jarome Luai/Samoa]: The Samoan and Panthers star welcomes the comparison but insists Voro is his own great player. Luai is treating the match as an exciting personal challenge. [PNG Chiefs Management]: Coach Willie Peters and development manager Joey Grima see a potential long-term payoff. The idea of a homegrown talent like Voro learning from or even partnering Luai in the halves for the 2028 NRL season fits their long-term vision for the club.

What to Watch

Saturday's Kumuls vs Samoa match. How will Voro perform against the highest calibre opponent he has faced?
The chemistry or lack thereof between Voro and Luai during the game.
Any development on Voro's contract status with the PNG Chiefs as the 2028 NRL entry approaches.

Sources

‘The next Jarome Luai’ ready to take on the original one · WA Today - Latest News
‘The next Jarome Luai’ ready to take on the original one · Brisbane Times - Latest News
‘The next Jarome Luai’ ready to take on the original one · Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe headline presents Voro as “The Next Jarome Luai” and says he is ready to face Luai.WA Today - Latest News: “‘The next Jarome Luai’ ready to take on the original one.”
Partly supportedThe summary says “PNK” will deploy Voro against Luai in “Port Moresky” this Saturday.WA Today - Latest News: “That makes Saturday’s match between the Kumuls and Samoa in Port Moresby - where Voro and Luai will clash - intriguing.”
Not in the sourcesLuai is a three-time premiership winner.
Partly supportedVoro’s rise from a remote fishing village to a London Broncos contract was rapid.WA Today - Latest News: “Voro hails from a remote fishing village in the Abau District in PNG’s Central Province”
Partly supportedGrima discovered Voro at a Sogeri tournament in 2023, and Voro’s talent was immediately obvious.WA Today - Latest News: ““It was 2023, and there was a tournament in Sogeri,” Grima recalled. “I didn’t go up there with any plans; I didn’t have anything to look at or anyone giving me any tips, but when I saw this player, I thought, ‘Wow, he looks like Jarome Luai.’””
SupportedGrima said, “When I saw this player, I thought, 'Wow, he looks like Jarome Luai,'” and recalled Voro looking at him “like I was from another planet.”WA Today - Latest News: ““... when I saw this player, I thought, ‘Wow, he looks like Jarome Luai.’ ... And he looked at me like I was from another planet.””
SupportedGrima said he “ignorantly walked up” to Voro after the game and tried to introduce himself as Junior Kumuls head coach.WA Today - Latest News: “So after the game, I ignorantly walked up to him and tried to ask him a few questions to introduce myself as the Junior Kumuls head coach.”
SupportedRequests for an interview with Voro were politely declined.WA Today - Latest News: “Requests for an interview with Gairo Voro, the PNG Kumuls playmaker described as a Jarome Luai clone, were politely declined.”
SupportedVoro scored seven tries and 44 points against Hunslet in a club-record haul.WA Today - Latest News: “Voro would go on to earn himself a London Broncos contract, be one of the Chiefs’ first homegrown development signings ahead of their NRL debut in 2028, and represent the Kumuls at the World Cup. If he didn’t already announce himself to the league world with a club-record seven-try, 44-point haul for the Broncos in a match against Hunslet”
SupportedVoro and Luai will face each other for the first time this Saturday.WA Today - Latest News: ““I haven’t gotten to meet him or play against him … but I’ve seen a lot of footage of him and how exciting he is as a player,” Luai said.”
SupportedLuai said he had not met or played against Voro, had watched footage of him, and viewed the matchup as a personal challenge.WA Today - Latest News: ““I haven’t gotten to meet him or play against him … but I’ve seen a lot of footage of him and how exciting he is as a player,” Luai said. I know he’s compared to me a lot, but in his own right, he’s his own great player. So, it’ll be a good personal challenge.””
SupportedPeters said there were similarities between Voro and Luai and that the Samoa match would be a step up for Voro.WA Today - Latest News: ““There are a lot of similarities there to Jarome,” Peters said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him do it again this weekend. It’s a step up against the Samoans, but if he can shine again, that’s a huge step forward to showing he can play NRL.””