The father of three who first played for the NOBM premiers in 2003 hinted in 2016 when he played his 200th this season might be his last. But Lauano said this week he will be back again next year regardless of where the Green Machine finishes this season.
"It's such a good team to be a part of and I like helping the young new boys," Lauano, or Minga as he is nicknamed, said.
A former Hawke's Bay B representative, Lauano, won two Hawke's Bay Colts Championships with NOBM before moving up to the premier ranks. Since then he has tasted Maddison Trophy glory on two occasions, been in a Nash Cup winning team three times, two Spillane Cup winning teams, one New Zealand Marist Sevens title-winning side and last year's Bali 10s winning team.
"I've had a great run with the club," Lauano said.
The Johnny Appleseed Group of Companies picker support role worker was considered unlucky not to make the Magpies after a couple of trial and pre-season games during the 2005 and 2006 seasons after scoring 14 tries for NOBM in 2005. 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 the Tamatea High School product at first class level and a couple of imports, Southland's Ryan Glover and New Zealand Sevens player Lote Raikabula, were selected alongside Kennedy.
"It's awesome to be sharing the day with Matt too," Lauano said referring to lock Matt Thompson who will celebrate his 100th appearance for the team today.
NOBM head coach Craig Gowler said the pair have had a massive influence on his team and the club.
"Migao is a close friend. He just has so much respect in the club. He doesn't talk much but when he does everyone listens. Matt has been an unsung hero in the premiers for a while now. He is a 100 per cent committed club player who is playing the best rugby of his career this season because he is the fittest he has been."
A store manager for Dulux Trade Centre in Onekawa, Thompson, 31, first played for the NOBM premiers in 2011.
"I had the 2016 and '17 seasons off before coming back this year. I had four or five games for the third last year and that's where I got the spark to play premiers again. I wanted to prove I could still play at this level and I'm really enjoying it.
"Because I missed 2016 and last year I have yet to be in a winning Maddison Trophy team.
"t would be good to taste it this year but our main focus is making the top four."
In the middle of last year Thompson, who boasts the nickname Stretch, was 140kg. He has shed 30kg since then.
"I dropped those kgs pretty quickly and that's one of the reasons why I'm having a good season. This has been a really good season."
A former Hawke's Bay B rep who went to Australia with the Magpies Development squad in 2012, Thompson, ranked Tamatea lock Everard Reid as the toughest player he has marked in the Bay and former Hurricane Mark Abbott as the best lock he has played alongside. An old boy of Nelson and Wairoa Colleges and Hastings Boys' High School, Thompson, said he was confident the hosts would be the winning team on the scoreboard today.
"We've had pretty clinical trainings this week ... I have no doubt."
The milestones should provide the necessary motivational fuel for the hosts to win by nine points.
Altherm Window Systems Napier Technical still have a lengthy injury list and with several of their players in Wellington for the All Blacks test they will be doing well to stay within seven points of Taradale Rugby and Sports at Whitmore Park. If Northfuels Central are close to full strength they should pip Tanalised Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports by six at Whitmore Park.
Progressive Meats Havelock North should beat Jarks Tamatea by 11 at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park and Auto Super Shoppe Hastings Rugby and Sports should beat MAC by 15 at Flaxmere Park.
