characters.

There's Stanley Gene, the enigmatic playmaker with the

mystery date of birth; Charlie Wabo, the dreadlocked assassin who terrorised World Cup defences; or Raymond Kahl, nicknamed cow because he looked and ran like one.

Then there's Keith Peters.

The 23-year-old Penrith hooker has not reached personality status in PNG, however.

He hasn't hunted a garden duck for dinner upon signing

with his first professional club, as former teammate Makali Aizue was rumoured to have done.

Nor has he been carried 500 metres from the field to the

team bus from crazed highland fans, such as current coach Adrian Lam.

Peters is just noted for his playing, which is a major reason why PNG will join Australia, New Zealand and England in the 2010 Four Nations.

``In my eyes a lot of our success is down to him,'' Lam said.

``Keith is my eyes and voice on the field as our organiser he is No1, he gets things done.''

But it hasn't been easy for the kid from Hanuabaea village, just outside of Port Moresby.

After moving to Australia in 1993, Peters worked his way up the Penrith junior ranks.

Two lots of surgery, following an impressive but wearing

World Cup campaign last year, left him struggling to break back into the Panthers first-grade rotation.

He spent most of the 2009 season with feeder club Windsor.

``The first thing that comes to mind is representing PNG,'' Peters said of overcoming the setbacks.

``This is where I was born, this is where I grew up.

``I want to come here and make myself and my family

proud.

``I still remember my first camp in 2004 with Paul Aiton (the Penrith hooker signed by Cronulla for next season).

``We came in and we've never looked back, and I know all the other guys are the same.

``It definitely is special, you know, being part of the Kumuls.

``The World Cup helped a lot,'' Peters said of PNG's surprise competitiveness last year.

``We learned a lot from it and gained a lot of confidence in that we can compete with the best teams in the world, and I think that's starting to show now.

``Guys such as Jessie Joe Parker, Rodney Pora, Anton Kui and also Menzie Yere, who has come along in leaps and bounds they've really improved.

``They are the new generation.''

After debuting in 2004, Peters is 16 Tests into his Kumuls career and has already captained the team several times.

``I'm still only young but I like to see myself as a leader,'' he said.

Maybe soon he'll be seen as a personality.