"Big moment": To'o reunites with Luai in bombshell signing

In another massive signing coup for the PNG Chiefs, Brian To'o has agreed to join the club.

The move sees him reunite with former Panthers teammate Jarome Luai with the NSW winger becoming the club's sixth signing.

Chiefs General Manager Michael Chammas revealed to SEN how quickly a deal had to be reached to acquire the superstar winger.

“It’s a big moment for the club." Chammas said on SEN's Arvos with Adam Peacock.

“We are really proud as a club to get him on board.

“He’s a winner and we need that mentality within our four walls.

“The Panthers have been great during this process and they understand what this team will do for rugby league.

“In the conversations between him, his management and Penrith, there was a mutual understanding that if he wanted to test the open market before November 1, he could.

“We were informed about a week ago that we had seven days to get this deal done.

“It’s no secret that he and Jarome Luai are close mates (and) I have no doubt that that relationship helped get him on board.

“We are only six signings in. We still have a lot of work to do."

In a statement, club CEO Lorna McPherson was excited to sign the four-time premiership player into the club.

“Brian is an exceptional rugby league player, but this signing is about much more than football,” she said.

“The PNG Chiefs will be a club proudly built in Papua New Guinea but with a strong Pacific identity. Across our region, family, culture, community, and rugby league are deeply connected, and Brian represents those values every time he takes the field.

“He is fiercely proud of his Samoan heritage, incredibly close to his family and understands what it means to represent something bigger than yourself.

“That is exactly the kind of person we want wearing the Chiefs jersey.

“We want young people across Papua New Guinea and the Pacific to look at this team and see themselves in it.

"Brian choosing to become part of the Chiefs sends a powerful message about the club we are building and what this team can represent for our region, and we are incredibly proud to welcome him, his wife and children into the Chiefs family.”

To'o's contract with the Panthers concludes in 2027.

Reacting to the news on air, Andrew Voss believes that To'o joining his good mate in Luai should make the move overseas easier to adjust to.

“That's big news,” Voss declared on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“So, Alex Johnston (and) Brian To’o (are) potentially the two wingers to start it all.

“That was sort of hinted from the moment Jarome Luai signed, wife, kids going over.

“Everyone applied then or some people in the know said well, they're gonna need family support.

“Best mate, Brian To’o, family, wife, go over there, now you get the two of them.

“They will handle the adjustment (and) the move better.”

The Chiefs are set to enter the competition in 2028.