Gairo Voro scored 32 tries in 25 games in England and was named the Championship player of the year.
Now the 23-year-old Papua New Guinea five-eighth is preparing to face Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup, with Jarome Luai his opposite number.
Voro was man of the match in Papua New Guinea's 42-18 win over Lebanon in Port Moresby last week. He is set to join Luai at the Chiefs on a development deal in 2028.
Joey Grima, the PNG Rugby Football League's pathways boss, found Voro at a junior carnival in Sogeri, Central Province, and believes he has NRL potential.
"He comes from a stilt village, so the surf goes out and he's got a field with posts," Grima said. "But when the tide comes back in he can't play because it's all water, the beachfront is their field."
Grima said Voro's long hair reminded him of Luai, but their first conversation needed an interpreter because Voro spoke his native language, not Tok Pisin.
National coach Jason Demetriou later took Voro 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.
Morea described Voro as shy at first, but said Demetriou had built his confidence. "He's just so hard to tackle, man, because he's so small, but so strong and lifts heavy too."
Kumuls assistant coach Paul Aiton said Voro's growth was clear after a year away, adding: "I've never seen him back down, he always seems to rise to the occasion."