Lauano will clock up 300 for Green Machine
Popular Napier Old Boys Marist club rugby player Migao Lauano will play his 300th premier match for the club on Saturday.
Lauano, 40, who made his premier debut in 2003 reckons there could be another season or two still to come at premier level too. Considering he thought he only had another two left in him back in 2016 when Lauano played his 200th only a brave punter would bet against him strutting his stuff at this level in 2023.
"Johnny will give up before me," Lauano (pictured above) quipped referring to his younger brother who played his 200th match for the Green Machine earlier this season.
Father of three Lauano will start at second five-eighth and 32-year-old Johnny will start at first five-eighth when NOBM hosts MAC in a fifth round Maddison Trophy match at Tremain Field on Saturday.
"We've got plenty of mates in the MAC team and we're expecting a tough match. We've got to play hard to beat them," Lauano explained.
A forklift driver for Johnny Appleseed Group of Companies, Lauano, has always looked after himself and trained hard and he attributed this approach for his ability to become his club's most capped premier player. He tasted Maddison Trophy glory in 2016, 17 and 19 and is confident his team can repeat the feat this season.
"Obviously we have to make the top four first. Once we do that we can see what happens from there."
A Tamatea High School product and former Hawke's Bay B representative, Lauano, had a couple of Magpies trial and pre-season games during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He was unlucky not to gain first class selection during those seasons, particularly in 2005 when he scored 14 tries in premier club play as a winger.
However, in 2005 the handy trio of Karl Mudzamba, Ray Karauria and Jacob Kennedy were ranked ahead of him. The following year when the Magpies were promoted to the first division the selectors felt that wasn't the time to blood Lauano at first class level and a couple of imports, Southland's Ryan Glover and New Zealand Sevens player Lote Raikabula were selected alongside Kennedy.
We couldn't leave Lauano without getting him to name his Napier Old Boys Marist Selection, a team of players he considers the best he has played alongside during his 18 years as a premier player at the club. It is:
Liam Edwards, Johnny Lauano, Sam Giddens, Pedro Bezanilla, Michael Buckley, Tyrone Elkington-McDonald, Ellery Wilson, Hannon Brighouse, Pouvi Fatialofa, Michael Johnson, Mark Abbott, Matt Thompson, Jarvy Aoake, Dom Devine, Lee Moleli.
Other round five games on Saturday will see Napier Technical host defending champions Hastings Rugby and Sports in the feature game of the Texans belated Centennial celebrations at Whitmore Park, Tamatea Rugby and Sports host Central Rugby and Sports at Bill Mathewson Park and Clive Rugby and Sports host Taradale Rugby and Sports at Farndon Park.
