Luai and To’o get hero’s welcome in PNG. But will they be villains this weekend?

More than 10 weeks after committing to the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, Brian To’o stepped onto PNG soil for the first time on Wednesday.

Alongside him was the franchise’s inaugural signing, Jarome Luai, and the rest of the Samoa squad that had just touched down in Port Moresby ahead of their World Cup clash against the PNG Kumuls on Saturday. They received a hero’s welcome as they stepped off the tarmac from a contingent of vocal Samoa supporters as well as local fans that already consider them their own.

Given the popularity of To’o and Luai, it is unclear whether the locals will be cheering for or against them when they clash with the national PNG side on Saturday.

“Beautiful people, a beautiful place,” were To’o’s first impressions of the country.

“Very blessed to be in this area right now. I think just seeing how much it meant to the people – that was probably enough for me to make that transition. Given the fact that this is my first time here, it feels like I’ve been here for a very long time, so it definitely feels like home.”

Before signing with PNG sight unseen, To’o received some feedback from Luai on what to expect.

“Yeah, here and there,” To’o said. “He’s obviously being that big brother, sharing some wisdom and advice as well. Just seeing how much it meant to the people – that was what really got me over. I really want to not only change their lives, but also they can change my life as well.”

The former Panthers teammates arrived in town on a momentous day. Earlier, the PNG Chiefs unveiled their inaugural logo. And then this masthead revealed that rising Titans forward Cooper Bai had just flown into town to have secret contract negotiations with Chiefs officials.

Both developments were warmly welcomed by Luai.

“He’s an amazing talent,” Luai said of Bai. “He’s a young guy who has a long way to go and develop his game, but he’s Papua New Guinean. I think that’s something that will resonate with him – being back home amongst his people.”

Asked if the Chiefs needed to sign some forwards – all bar one of the recruits to date are backs – Luai quipped: “I’m sure Chammy [PNG general manager of football Michael Chammas] has that under control. I think November 1st is coming up, so we’ll see what it looks like.”

To’o and Luai also gave their approval to the design of the new PNG Chiefs logo and jersey.

“It was popping up everywhere on the plane, when you turn your airplane mode off [your phone],” Luai said. “That’s all that was coming up. So, me and ‘Bizza’ were sitting behind each other, so we sort of nudged each other and said, ‘How cool does this look?’ So, obviously, something good to look forward to.

”I think it’s amazing. I think it sort of encapsulates what PNG is about – rich in culture. The colours are awesome, and hopefully the people love it just as much as we do.”

Adrian Proszenko travelled to Port Moresby as a guest of the PNG Chiefs